Tekken: Redemption (Season 1)
by AlexTheHedgeLynx
Summary: Hello everybody! This is first season of my newest series, Tekken: Redemption! This is a story about the protagonist, Jin Kazama, who is going on many adventures, only to seek for redemption for his terrible actions and all this takes place after the 7th installment (This is an AU, so don't wonder, why a few things differ). Enjoy! All characters in the story belong to NAMCO
1. The Aftermath (Part 1)

**Chapter 1: The Aftermath (Part I)**

(A thunder booms in the sky and the rain falls like a waterfall upon the forest of Yakushima… the home, of a lonely fighter, that is hiding from the world, that is wanting him dead… the young Kazama, Jin… cursed with the devil gene, hides in the deepest woods of the old forest, keeping himself away from all danger he could possibly cause… after the 7th tournament, where the Mishima bloodline shattered and all that remained, were the Mishimas with no real victor, Jin decided to return to his old home, where he stayed to this very day… where he was starting to realize, how much turmoil he has caused in the past and that all this self-pitying should stop… he now understands what to do…)

(As the rain falls on his body, Jin is training in the forest, without any care for something or someone… as he trained his spirit, he realizes how much he felt this kind of emotion… it was bothering him for weeks now, and it has nothing to do with his cursed gene… loneliness… seeking for compassion… for someone, who could probably be there for him… that's what he is looking for…)

MONOLOGUE

Jin: "It's been a few months now… ever since that accursed tournament seemed to have finally found an end… but even then, my soul refuses to find any kind of rest, and I can't understand it… so far, I always found a way to ignore something, but this… this is an unusual case this time…"

(Jin is shown eating his noodles with vegetables, while it rains outside, while having a somewhat depressed look.)

Jin: "I thought at first, that my devil gene seemed to have these negative effects on me again, fooling me into thinking, I was being myself the whole time… at least I thought that at first, but… I slowly got the feeling, that I was wrong… deadly wrong… I constantly get these nightmares, that keep reminding me of myself having done all these horrible things in the past and I simply can't brush it off, like it was necessary for me to do all that, in hopes of paying for my sins… and finally exterminating my cursed bloodline…"

(Then Jin is shown laying in his bed, looking at the ceiling without any thought whatsoever.)

Jin: "I gave up on trying to stop my family from causing more trouble to others long ago… and I ended up being like this… feeling like I achieved nothing with all this trouble I caused myself… and this feeling was guilt… deep and honest guilt… an emotion, that I never expected to come up, after this accursed and constant conflict between me and my family… and I had to be honest to myself… I messed up big time… and my former friends probably hate me now more than anyone else…"

(Jin is then shown training in front of his house in the garden, while the rain keeps falling on, but it doesn't bother him.)

Jin: "I said to myself, that I didn't want anyone to come near me, otherwise I might harm them greatly, if I should lose control again, but… when I think back correctly, I deeply regret this decision of mine now… I realize now, how much of a delusional fool I was making myself of until to this point… mother… oh, my beloved mother… you taught me so many things, that could have helped me, but… instead of honouring your teachings and you yourself, I simply spit on your grave, by simply starting a war and do it all for my own selfish needs… Lars was right… Azazel wasn't the problem and so wasn't the devil gene… it was me. I was the real evil… curse this!"

(Jin then becomes horribly angry and punches through a tree, which falls to the side and pants, while then starting to look somewhat sad… he then sits down on the wet grass and buries his face inside his hands.)

Jin: "Now, I got to feel the pain, I caused to the whole world… it was like… getting to wear a whole mountain on your back… I couldn't describe, how much it hurt… for the first time in my life, I felt regret for having done all this… how bitter I am… all I am, is just a despicable little piece of filth begging to be washed away… the pain was so unbearable, so much to the point, where I mentally broke down… and from this day on, I lost every kind of sense of reason for anything…"

(Jin is then seen putting on his red-black hoodie outfit from the last tournament and then leaving Yakushima to go to the city, not caring where he goes.)

Jin: "I didn't care, where I go… simple put: somewhere, where nobody even bothers looking at me… I am unworthy… unworthy of being even considered as a human. But then, I saw a pub. A place, where the more darker side of the society normally goes to, heh… the irony is stunning…"

MONOLOGUE (END)

(Jin enters the pub, and a few people, who looked pretty much like bad news, glared at him and he simply goes pass them towards the bar and sits down. He asks for a glass of beer with ice and the bar-keeper let the glass slide in front of him. He thanks him and then starts to drink. He then sighs and looks down, playing with his glass. While he drank, a cloaked young man watches him from a corner of the bar and he looked pretty serious. Then the bar-keeper starts to talk with Jin.)

Bar-Keeper: "Heh, pretty bad weather outside, huh?"

Jin: "…"

(Jin simply nods.)

Bar-Keeper: "Ah, the silent type, I see. Well, alright. Drinking away your sorrows?"

Jin: "…yes."

Bar-Keeper: "Oh, heh… then let me not disturb you."

Jin: "Thanks. I need some peace anyway…"

(He then keeps drinking and then asks for a second glass, which he immediately got. And while drank, the cloaked man sits down next to him, which surprised Jin a bit and the voice of the man sounded nearly familiar to him.)

?: "Is that really you, Jin?"

(When the stranger called his name, his eyes wide a bit in surprise, but he remains cool as usual and simply asks in a neutral voice.)

Jin: "…who wants to know that?"

?: "You can call me… 'The Blood Talon', if you will."

(That made Jin spit out his beer in shock, when he then took a second look at the man, he then removed his hoodie and this came as a big shock for Jin… right before him, is one of his friends, who is his rival… Hwoarang. But he wasn't really happy to see Jin. Instead, he looked very serious, but he wasn't angry.)

Jin: "Hwoarang?! What are you doing here in Yakushima?!"

Hwoarang: "I thought I'd never find you, but anyway. We have to talk."

Jin: "I am not interested in talking with you."

(Hwoarang then becomes angry.)

Hwoarang: "Oh, so that's now how this goes, huh? Simply rejecting someone, without even saying 'hello'! THAT'S the friendliest greeting I ever got from you! Bravo, does more come from you?!"

Jin: "Hwo, I already told you, I am not interested. And why did you even bother coming here for me? You should hate me by now, so… what is the purpose?"

(Then Hwoarang became silent, but then he stands up from his chair and makes a gesture for Jin to follow him, in which he obeyed. Both leave the pub and then he follows Hwoarang back to the forest to talk under four eyes. Jin simply folds his arms and looks serious as always, when they arrived in a little clearing, where Hwo parked his bike.)

Jin: "What do you want from me?"

Hwoarang: "Isn't it obvious? I've been looking for you, because we still have a score to settle!"

Jin: "Don't tell me, you've come all this way here, only to have a match with me again, only because you aren't accepting your loss from the last tournament."

Hwoarang: "No. I didn't only come for this… Jin, let me ask you these questions, and I want proper answers… why? Why did you have to ruin the lives of so many people, while you were the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu?!"

Jin: "Does it even matter anymore? It's over, Hwo. I can't change what I did! So if you only came to me for something THIS irrelevant now, then better leave now, because you're only wasting your time."

Hwoarang: "I won't leave, until you give me answers! Why did you start a freaking war?! What was the whole purpose of that? Did you only do it, because you enjoyed watching other people suffer?!"

Jin: "…"

(At this point, Hwoarang completely lost his patience and grabbed Jin by the collar of his hoodie and starts to shake him and look angrily in his eyes.)

Hwoarang: "ANSWER ME, GODDAMNIT! STOP BEING SO STUBBORN AND GIVE ME FREAKING ANSWERS! I DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY HERE FOR NOTHING, I WANT TO HELP YOU GET BACK ON YOUR FEET, FOR GODS SAKE!"

(When Hwoarang said that last sentence, Jin's eyes wide and he pushes Hwo away and looked at his former friend in a somewhat arrogant way as he folds his arms again.)

Jin: "…help me? Heh, what can YOU do to help me? You never helped me, so why now?"

(Hwoarang pants and looks at him in a somewhat sad way, and Jin could see, he tries to keep a stone-hard face, as a tear is about to run down his cheek, but he keeps speaking in an emotional tone.)

Hwoarang: "B-Because… you're… you're… YOU'RE STILL MY FRIEND!"

(When Jin heard that, his eyes wide and he feels guilt again, which causes his face to turn from serious to somewhat sad.)

Jin: "W-Wait… d-did you just really… m-m-mean that with… t-that you still see me… a-as a friend?"

(Before Hwoarang could answer however, Jin was surprised from behind with a sneak attack from an animal. Something slashes through his jacket, causing him to scream in pain and try to clutch the wound on his back and also fall on his knees in agony. Hwoarang became shocked and sees Jin's attacker… it was the bear, Kuma, who growled victorious and raises for another attack, but Hwoarang reacts fast and pulls Jin to safety away from the bear, which angered him and he starts to growl, which seemed like he attempts to communicate with the korean biker.)

Kuma: "(Why do you defend him?! Jin Kazama deserves nothing more than a painful death! He shall feel the same amount of pain, that all the people have suffered through because of him!)"

Hwoarang: "I don't give two shits about what YOU fleabag think about him! He is my friend and I won't let you murder him!"

Kuma: "(Hand him over! His spirit screams for death!)"

Hwoarang: "Over my dead body! If you want him, you have to get through me first!"

(Kuma then angrily growls and rises higher.)

Kuma: "(Then prepare to die with him! He will have company on the way out of the world of living!)"

Kuma runs on all fours to Hwoarang, who just put the injured Jin near a tree and leaned him against it and the battle began. Jin starts to mutter. "Hwoarang… don't do anything you will regret…". Hwoarang then attempts to kick Kuma on the head, but he blocks it quickly with his right paw and rams the korean Taekwando prodigy against the next tree, but before he could succeed in harming him, Hwoarang got out of his grip just in time, before they could reach the tree. He then kicks the bear in the back, making him fall on the grass. He then attempts to grabs Kuma by his neck, only to throw him into the next corner, but when he got more nearer, the bear quickly scratches him with the claws on his feet, which made him scream in pain and fall on knees, but as tough as he is, he doesn't want to fall on the ground and so he keeps fighting. The bear quickly rises from the grass and attempts to squash Hwo, by falling with all his weight on him, but even though he is wounded, he jumps to the side, avoiding the bear in time. Kuma growls frustrated and then attempts to cut Hwoarang with his claws, but he manages to counter all of his slashes with his kicks and the speed of their clashes increases, until Hwoarang reached a bush, where he nearly falls in, but then jumps aside, to dodge Kuma's rolling attack. He pants exhausted, but screams a battle cry and let his foot slip under the belly of the bear and uses all his strength to raise him up in the air, only to then throw him against a nearby rock, where the beast smashes against with full force. The bear groans in pain, but slowly gets back up and growls louder. "(Damn you…)". Hwoarang starts to smirk, while jumping up and down. "What's the matter, lazy-bones? Can't keep up?! That's some strength, I give it to ya, but I am faster than you fat-ass will ever be and you will never catch me!". This made Kuma really angry. "(Fat-ass?! FAT-ASS?! No one dares to insult the bear of the Mishima Zaibatsu and laughs!)". Kuma runs on all fours with higher speed than before towards Hwoarang, who prepares himself for him, but then Kuma stops abruptly towards him and then let himself fall with his back on the ground, to spin around like a rollerblade. Hwoarang got careless for the fraction of a second and before he knew it, Kuma sends him flying up in the air with a 'Break'n' move. And then catches the bear Hwoarang with his huge claws and attempts to squeeze the korean red-head to death. "(My apologies, but you should have given Jin over to me, instead of defending him, like he is any damn worth it… now you will pay for it.)". Hwoarang struggles in getting free by repeatedly kicking the bear in the gut, but Kuma was taking the hits like they were nothing and so became the red-head defenseless. "L-Let me go, you stinky fleabag!". Kuma then growls. "(Too late! I will squeeze the life out of you for this disgrace you have committed a few moments ago!)". Hwoarang screams in agony, as the beast squeezes him in his arms, but before he could finish the job, he gets punched really hard in the belly… it was Jin, who attacked him with a fully charged 'Avenger'. The attack was so painful, that Kuma let go of the korean biker and let himself fall in Jin's arms. The bear collapses on the grass, and Jin quickly brings Hwoarang near a tree and leans him against it. He checks him entirely to see if he was alright and he was, despite some bloody bruises and scratches, coming from Kuma's claws.

(Hwoarang opens his eyes a few moments later, and sees Jin taking care of his wounds with bandages, who were packed in his bike. He groans a little, because Jin even cleans his wounds, before bandaging them and it burned, but he didn't mind. Hwoarang was surprised to see his former friend give a damn for him and so he speaks.)

Hwoarang: "Jin… one question… do you also still see me as friend…?"

(Jin then looks pretty sad, before answering.)

Jin: "To be perfectly honest… yes… but I doubt, that YOU still see me as friend… after all, I never cared about you before… or helped you… the only thing I ever did to you, was causing you trouble and the same goes for your master…"

Hwoarang: "No Jin, do not doubt it. Believe it or not, despite everything you did, you're still one of my friends and one of my strongest rivals yet… yeah, we didn't get along well at the start… but I have still respect for you left… seeing how hard you fight for what you think is right… but I am still curious… why have you started a war in the past?"

(Jin looks down and sighs.)

Jin: "You really want to know… because I think, you will think, that I might be insane or something…"

(Hwoarang chuckles and punches Jin lightly against his cheek.)

Hwoarang: "I won't think that, no worries, I already think you are bit not right in the head. Nothing surprises me anymore about you, or your twisted family at this point, hehehe…"

(This comment made Jin really chuckle, but then he looks serious.)

Jin: "Fine. Let's start slowly… first, do you remember the 5th tournament?"

Hwoarang: "How could I forget that? I managed to beat you there! Man, that felt good, seeing you lay on the ground beaten!"

Jin: "Hehe, yeah, you're right… you got me there, this time around… but that's not the point… you know, the one who hosted that one tournament was the one, everyone believed to be dead… and that is Heihachi's father, Jinpachi Mishima."

(Hwoarang was baffled, because he couldn't believe, that even Heihachi's father was still under the living.)

Hwoarang: "Seriously now?! Even the father of that old fart was still alive?! Just how old can Mishimas become?! Are they immortal?!"

Jin: "Don't worry, Mishimas age like normal humans, but that wasn't the case with Jinpachi. Could you imagine, that he was imprisoned under Hon-Maru by Heihachi for many years, and he didn't die at first, but then did, when he became really old?"

Hwoarang: "He was imprisoned and didn't die immediately?! Then how was it, that he came out of Hon-Maru alive and well?! He should have been over 100 years old by then!"

Jin: "I was also baffled by the fact, that he was still alive, but… when I fought with him, he was possessed by a demon, which revived him and brought him back to the world of living. I thought at first, he also possessed the devil gene, but I was proven wrong by the fact, that my gene didn't react to his at all. That spirit was nothing like anything I have seen before and his power… was really astonishing. I didn't have any chances of winning and only won out of pure luck, because that old man was playing in a totally different league than Kazuya or Heihachi… and after that victory, I thought everything will be fine and much easier, once I take over the Mishima Zaibatsu… but as a matter of fact, it wasn't easier, if anything, everything became even more difficult for myself… because after I beat Jinpachi, I felt something urging inside of me… a dark feeling, that turned out to be something, that made me do all these horrible things to the world…"

Hwoarang: "Wait, let me guess… your devil gene got more control over you, because you killed Jinpachi?"

Jin: "…from where do you know that?"

(Hwoarang then looks serious.)

Hwoarang: "…because I saw you… in your devil form… and you nearly killed me."

(That message shocked Jin deeply.)

Jin: "Uhhh… did I… do that?"

(Hwoarang nods. Then Jin starts to rub the sides of his forehead with his thumbs and shakes his head.)

Jin; "So that's the reason, why your entering in the 6th tournament was delayed… you were still recovering from your wounds, that were caused by my devil form! Oh god… I-I deeply am sorry for this, Hwo… I-I didn't know…"

(Hwoarang then puts a hand on his friend's shoulder and taps it.)

Hwoarang: "Hey, it's in the past pal, no biggie. Besides… if it wasn't for you, I would have never become stronger, because I was at my best in the sixth tournament."

(Jin then looks at him in a neutral way again and goes on.)

Jin: "OK then… where was I? Now I remember. Like I said, after I became the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu, I began to feel the effect of my devil gene grow stronger with every passing day, until… where it began. My devil gene went crazy, and the cause of this, is this one being, sleeping in the deepest bounds of hell, in a tomb in the far away Egypt… Azazel. He was responsible for making my devil gene react to his call and he brought me to the point, where I became literally insane… and this could explain my temporary transformation into my devil form, and the beating I gave you in that form back then… and then, I went to egypt myself to find out more about Azazel and as it turned out, this creature will awake, if two stars clash… Kazuya and I are the two stars this woman was talking about. Mine and his devil gene is the key to awake him and not only that… negative energy. That was also playing an important role in that game. Here is the deal: To finally get Azazel into his physical form, I had to gather enough negative energy from around the world, so that this task could become achievable and this is the reason, why I started the war… I wanted to cause as much as ruckus as possible, so that this monstrocity can finally wake up and I can finally free the world, so that it can finally see true peace and myself from the devil gene… in which I succeeded only half-way… I managed to destroy Azazel entirely and he will never return again, only… my devil gene was still there… you have no idea, how much this made me angry… I realized at this point, that there will never be any cure for me… and I nearly gave up, until… this one man came. This italian soldier, who was an exorcist… he had the ability to block the devil gene from awakening and you also won't believe… who I met…"

(At this point, Jin's voice broke, as he became really sad and is near the edge of crying.)

Jin: "My own mother, whom I believed to be dead… she fought with me and Lars… against Heihachi and Kazuya… but there was no winner, because… we all had to stop Kazumi from transforming into her devil form… it was a very fierce battle, and it could have all ended… it everyone of us dying in the lava… but we were in luck… I managed to transform into my devil form one last time and… finally defeated Kazumi, with every last bit of strength I had left… after that, she disappeared… in a green light… and left me and the others behind in question… I saw Heihachi, crying for his wife… he blamed me for everything… he stood up in pure fury and said, that he wanted to kill me, but… Jun and Lars held him back from doing so… I heard, how my mother said… that he has harmed me enough… and Kazuya… what can I say…? He went away and nobody noticed… nobody knows, where he is today… but to be honest, I think it's better this way… after everything ended, I was brought to the hospital, where I got treatment by the troops of this italian exorcist… and I had the chance to see my mother one last time… I wanted to embrace, but she was too far away from me… so near and yet so far… but she didn't leave in a cold way… she smiled at me in a forgiving and angelic way and said… that she has freed me from my sins and that we will see each other again… she looked forward to it and promised it… and then she left me… right after I recovered from my wounds, I returned back to Yakushima, where I remained to this day… rejected from responsibility, any kind of worth for life and the society…"

(After Jin said the last sentences, the korean biker could see two tears running down his cheeks. All these painful memories, were too much for Jin to handle and so he silently begins to cry… the whole story has saddened Hwoarang significantly and he looked sad too.)

Hwoarang: "Wow… so this is the full story… man, I didn't know that you had to suffer that much, only for finally becoming free… come here."

(Hwoarang slowly pulled a silently crying Jin into an embrace and hugs him, like a brother. Jin then first hesitated to hug back, but then he gave in and hugged back.)

Jin: "Hwoarang… I am really sorry for everything… I was foolish into thinking, that I could handle anything that happened in the past all by myself… and when I remember correctly, my mother taught me… that true friendship and compassion can overcome everything… and she was right… I believe it now, as I could have had it a lot easier… but I was too afraid and too selfish… I was blind, blinded by my own fear, in hurting anyone I care about the most… rejecting is no solution… and it never was… never will be… and now look at me. I am unworthy of even being considered as human… I bet even my mother thinks, that I am on the same level of 'lost cause', like my father…"

Hwoarang: "Well, you seem to have learned something… now we are on the same wavelength... you see, I also didn't have it easy… I was literally born in dirt. I never got to know my parents and I was left on my own, ever since I could think… you had the luck, to have a mother, who loved you and raised like any real mother would do… and I think, your mother doesn't hate you, if she did, she would have NEVER said, that she looks forward in seeing you again someday, so… don't worry…"

(Suddenly… they hear rustling in the bushes and both quickly stood up to check out the bushes. Jin wipes his eyes dry and becomes serious again.)

Jin: "Wait… don't get too close to it!"

(Then they stopped shocked in their tracks to see a horde of little bears running out of the bushes and stopping right in front of the unconscious Kuma. They stood in a position, that could be understood as defending him from more harm, which made Hwo laugh.)

Hwoarang: "Don't tell me, that you little furballs are the children of this gigantic fleabag!"

Jin: "Be quiet, don't underestimate these creatures! They are Kuma's off-spring and keep that in mind!"

Hwoarang: "Oh come on, you can't be serious, how could these little babies hurt us? They are just as much as useless as their father!"

(While he keeps insulting the bears and discusses with Jin, they didn't realize, that the tiny bears have come together and formed a formation, that looked like they were trying to become one huge bear… which happened, as the bear became larger and larger, until it nearly reaches the height of a tree… and then both fighters turned their heads slowly in the direction of the huge bear and became baffled, even Jin.)

Hwoarang: "You've GOT be kidding me! Do they seriously believe, that they will beat us with a ridiculous technique like that? We already beat their leader, so what makes them think, that they can win now?"

Jin: "Don't be foolish! These bears are avenging Kuma, and it's clearly obvious that you made them upset and now they become even more powerful, by combining into one, so better concentrate now on combat instead of keep making things worse, by insulting them!"

(Music for the situation: Lachlan Barclay – Epic As Hell)

(There was a silence between the two, until… Hwoarang then starts to smirk confidently, as he now feels pure nostalgia. All this now reminds him of the time, when he and Jin were fighting together in the past and also kicking ass. He now looks over to his friend and smirks confident.)

Hwoarang: "Heh, I don't know about you, but… I am having a déjà-vu here. How about it? Let's take on these little bastards together, for old time's sake! Whaddya say?"

(He offers the japanese brawler a confident a bro-fist, which Jin looked at in a questionable way and glared at his korean friend for a while, but then… he chuckles and then returns the bro-fist, which made Hwoarang grin widely.)

Hwoarang: "OK then, let's beat the crap out of them!"

(Jin and Hwoarang then look at the gigantic bear in a serious way, before getting into their fighting stances and then running towards it.)

The gigantic Kuma is preparing himself to hit the two fighters with one of his huge paw, and when he landed the hit on the ground, it made it explode, but both friends jumped out of the way, just in time to prevent from getting hit. Then Hwoarang yells out for Jin, while trying to beat the little bears out of the formation to make the huge bear lose his balance. "So Jin! What's the plan? If I would guess, the chance is high that you were about to say, that we have to bring him to lose his balance, by beating out as many as little Kumas as possible, am I right?!". When Jin heard, he looked a bit impressed and nods. "That's… actually not a bad idea, let's do it like this then.". Both then start beating out as many Baby-Kumas as possible, and by the time they were done with his legs, they realized, they should go higher. "Jin! We have get higher in order to hit the more upper part of his body!". "I had the same thing in mind, but how shall we get up there?". "I thought about waiting for him to hit us with one of his paws, so that we can climb up on his arm and we can hit him more precise on greater height!" "Good idea!". Then they proceed with Hwoarang's plan and so far, it went well, until something unexpected happened. Just when they beat the last few little Kuma's from his belly, he then starts to shake brutally in order to let the two let go of him, while the two reacted by clinging onto little Kumas, but it didn't really help… and it all ended with the huge Kuma in hitting the two young fighters against trees, which hit them in a painfully hard way and they had to let go of him… both collapse on the ground, bleeding from their foreheads, and covered in dirt, but they refused to give up. Then Jin had to realize in a shocked way, where the huge Kuma was heading to. "He is going right into the town! We have to stop him, before he destroying it!". Hwoarang then whistled and looked unimpressed. "That gigantic fleabag sure has got a lot o' nerve. At first, he tried to destroy us and now he is taking out his entire frustration, caused by his loss against us, on the townspeople. Tsk, tsk, tsk, not nice. Not nice. But anyway, we have to beat him anyway, so what are we waiting for?!". "You just took the words out of my mouth. Let's go!". "Let's get on my bike! This is faster!". Both then jumped on Hwoarang's bike and drive off to follow the bear.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. The Aftermath (Part 2)

**Chapter 2: The Aftermath (Part II)**

(Hwoarang and Jin are hunting for the gigantic runaway Kuma, along the way having to dodge falling down trees, caused by the bear, who is right now on his way to the town…)

Hwoarang: "Just how fast is that fleabag?! I can barely keep up!"

Jin: "It's no wonder, his steps are large enough to count for 10 steps…"

Hwoarang: "And now?! Do you have a plan, how to bring this monstrocity to fall?!"

Jin: "Be quiet, I am thinking right now! Hmm…"

(Hwoarang then looks shocked, because Kuma has made it to the town and is now going on a rampage. He starts it, by letting his large paw land inside a building, nearly squishing the hell out of the people, who made it out alive by pure luck. Everyone around the monster runs away in panic and both fighters could hear shrieks of fear.)

Hwoarang: "Alright, forget it! He is already there!"

Jin: "What?!"

(The huge bear has totally lost control over himself now. His rage, because of his humiliating loss against Jin, made him become so delusional, that he now starts to demolish anything in sight. He isn't even afraid of killing the civilians. Jin this time really lost his composure and attempts to jump off Hwo's bike.)

Jin: "Alright now, that's enough! If he really wants me so badly… then he can have me!"

Hwoarang: "Jin? What are you plotting now? Don't tell me, you want to distract him, by acting as the bait?!"

Jin: "You got that right. And there is nothing that will stop me from doing so!"

(Before he could even jump off, Hwoarang grabs him by his jacket and pulls him back on the bike, looking angry.)

Hwoarang: "Believe it or not, you sir have done enough the past two years! It's time that you finally accept that this isn't only your fight, it's mine too!"

Jin: "Hwoarang, let me go, immediately or else!"

Hwoarang: "Or else what?! Will you punch me?! Kick me between my legs?! Care or not, but I've had enough of this bullshit! You have always rejected me and now you dare to do it again? What the fuck, man?!"

Jin: "Hey, I do this, because I care about you, believe it or not! I don't give a shit about how strong the enemy is, I am fed up with anyone suffering because of my fear of failing them! You deserve it the least!"

Hwoarang: "Oh alright, so let me put this in a nutshell! You say, I am a weakling and a useless buffoon, who has no clue how to fight?"

Jin: "No. You don't get my point, like always."

Hwoarang: "Jin, I am starting to think that you-!"

Jin: "YOU IDIOT, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"

(Both scream as they nearly reached the end of the road and Hwoarang had to brake abruptly before doing a heel-turn to get to another road, but then both start to argue again.)

Hwoarang: "Remember, when I reminded you about your loss in the fourth tournament? Well, you lost to me again in the fifth tournament and you wanna know how that made me feel? Like an ass, like you went easy on me for no reason and now that I've seen your devil form, I felt like you tricked me!"

Jin: "It wasn't my intention! If I went less easier on you, you could have died, because of me losing control of myself! I couldn't allow the gene to morph any further! Any slight mistake could have led to your demise!"

Hwoarang: "I understand your case, but when I think about it, it felt only like an excuse to reject me all the more!"

(They stopped for a moment, because a tree is about to block their path, but Hwoarang quickly accelerates through to avoid being squashed by the tree and they soon reached the town and speed through the streets, but the argument continued fiercely.)

Jin: "An excuse?! Are you joking with me? How can this be an excuse, when you clearly saw, how much of an effect it had on you, after I lost control for good?!"

Hwoarang: "You could have at least told me about your problems back then, and it may have turned differently than that!"

Jin: "So you're saying, it would have made things better for all of us, if I told you about my devil gene and let yourself become a target for the enemies?!"

Hwoarang: "NO!"

(Hwoarang then became so angry, that he braked hard, so that he stopped abruptly behind a wall-mart and he pants from shouting at the top of his lungs during their argument. Now he starts speaking in a calm tone, obviously trying to not make it all the more complicated for the both of them.)

Hwoarang: "Kazama… I couldn't care less… what negative effects… it would have had… on any of us."

Jin: "…What?"

Hwoarang: "Listen, I am not now talking about your devil gene…"

(He then opens his eyes and looked at Jin seriously.)

Hwoarang: "…I'm talking about you yourself, Jin. The reason, why I don't give any shits about your devil gene, is because you could have prevented it from morphing, by letting me or Xiaoyu know, why you behaved this way. I know, it's not easy for you, because you have social issues, but… out of all the fighters, you trusted ME and Xiao the most, so in short: you could've had it a lot easier, by at least trying to form a true bond between me and Xiao."

(Jin then becomes serious too.)

Jin: "But what good would it have done, if you would have died by either me anyways, or my enemies, if they found out about you or Xiao? This doesn't make any sense to me. What does friendship mean by dying?"

(Hwoarang became really pissed off at this point, as he now sees, that his friend still doesn't get what he was trying to do the whole time and so he yelled at him, while another angry tear runs down his cheek.)

Hwoarang: "WELL, GUESS WHAT?! I WOULD HAVE BETTER LET MYSELF GET KILLED THAN TO BETRAY YOU! I DID ALL THIS CRAP ONLY FOR YOU AND NOBODY ELSE! WHY ELSE WOULD I COME HERE AND SEARCH FOR YOUR ASS?! I don't care if I get killed, because as long as it means, that you stay alive, that's good enough for me to know, that I died an accomplished life! THAT'S HOW MUCH OF A FRIEND I SEE YOU, DO YOU GET IT NOW?!"

(When Hwoarang said that, Jin's eyes wide once again and he was really astonished, so much, that he nearly lost his words.)

Jin: "I… I… d-don't know… w-what-!"

(They see the bear attacking again, this time, he is about to throw the roof of a building right in the direction where the mall is, so Hwoarang quickly becomes serious again and starts the engine.)

Hwoarang: "You know what? We'll talk about this later. We have to beat this gigantic furball first, before it causes more ruckus here!"

(Jin quickly becomes serious again and nods.)

Jin: "Right."

(Hwoarang drives off in time, before the roof could even break through the mall to squash them. While they drive around the town, while avoiding to hit other civilians and the rubble that the bear throws at them, but then Hwoarang starts to speak again.)

Hwoarang: "OK, do you have any plans now, Jin? Because the shit here is really starting to boiling now!"

Jin: "I have a plan, but involves you and me at the same time, so listen carefully. I will now jump from the motorcycle and will go directly in his sight-field in bringing him to leave the town, so that he can focus on killing me instead. By the time this happens, he will be filled with so much anger, that he will lose control, but will only focus on me and nothing else. And while I distract and lead him out of the town…"

(Jin points at the tower in the distance, which is a few miles away from the town. The tower is a really tall water-tank, tall enough to be even higher than Kuma. Hwoarang looks in the direction of the tower and his eyes wide a bit in surprise.)

Jin: "…Do you see the tower? This is where you have to play your part. You have to drive with your bike up this tank and stop directly on the top of it. I will lure Kuma in the direction of that water-tank and once I am there with him, you drive off in the highest speed you can possibly achieve and slam your bike against his head. This will stun him so badly, that he will probably not be able to keep raging around here and then, to seal the final nail in the coffin, I will land one last hit against his chest and this… should actually do the trick."

(Hwoarang nods and smirks.)

Hwoarang: "Ahhh, now that's what I call a good pla-! Wait, WHAT?!"

(Hwoarang then wides his eyes in shock and he becomes angry.)

Hwoarang: "I shall let my baby crash against this monstrocity's head, only to let it explode in the end?!"

Jin: "Hwoarang, this is necessary! This is the only object hard enough to even do anything to him at this, considering the fact that he is in rampage-mode, so do what I tell you!"

(Hwoarang growls really loudly in frustration, but then calms down, as he realizes that Jin was right… he then looks down and strokes his bike with a sad look on his face, then becomes serious again and looks back at Jin.)

Hwoarang: "…Fine then. I will do it, even if it should destroy my bike."

(Jin then senses the sadness behind the eyes of his best friend and felt bad for him… Hwoarang once told him, that this bike was a present from his master Baek, and losing it, was like losing the half of his heart… so taps him on the shoulder.)

Jin: "Hey, do not worry, I will pay the damage, as soon as possible… I owe you it anyway…"

(Hwoarang nods and then Jin stands up on the motorcycle, ready to jump off.)

Jin: "Alright then… wish me luck."

(Hwoarang then gives him a thumb up and Jin jumps off, only to then land in sacks full of rice. He quickly jumps back up, shakes himself to get the rice off and then runs to the spot where Kuma is currently rampaging.)

(Meanwhile with giant Kuma…)

(He growls in pure anger, as he keeps destroying anything around him, and a few brave people come out of the buildings armed with guns to shoot the little bears out of the formation, but it became futile very fast, because the bear is becoming all the more angry, and so are the people forced to hide again.)

Kuma: "(Jin Kazama! I hate you, Kazama! Wherever you are, die in my claws! Bleed in hell! CURSE YOU!)"

?: "I am here, you stupid bear!"

(When Kuma heard the voice, he quickly stops hitting through the buildings and turns around to see where the voice comes from and then he sees Jin on the top of a building, near a temple and he quickly runs on all fours to him, making the people watch the spectacle in disbelief…)

Boy #1: "Mum… who is that man on the building…?"

Mother #1: "That is… that criminal, Jin Kazama. But… what is he doing?"

(Kuma growls and

Kuma: "(Ahhh… so you finally decided to show yourself, you coward. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can finally see it before me… you, laying dead under my paws! I will make you pay for all the crimes you've committed.)"

(Jin becomes deadly serious and folds his arms.)

Jin: "You've done enough trouble here, Kuma. I understand your rage against me, and you can kill me if you want. But what I won't accept here… is that you tried to demolish my home. The forest, the town, everything… anything that is left for me and the other people here to live for… and because of that, I won't let you get away with this so easy…"

Kuma: "(Oh, so I destroyed your home? Good, because you deserve nothing. You destroyed more lives than you can possibly count and see this as a lesson. Now you seem to see what other people had to suffer through, because of your ego. First, I will take care of you, and the next, if possible, will be Kazuya. You two have caused more than enough ruckus and it's time, that I should take care of you two pests once and for all.)"

Jin: "Look who is talking… as if your master is just as innocent as you are. Heihachi has done more damage to the world than me and Kazuya altogether in the past, so this makes him no better than me or you, with the only difference, that I caused a war for a reason and not for the sake of showing that I am the most mightiest man in the world… I never seeked for fame and fortune… I seeked for justice…"

(Jin gets into his fighting stance and does a 'Mental Alertness'.)

(BGM for the situation: The Terminator – Taking to the Air)

Jin: "…and I will show you, what justice means for me and all the other people here on this island."

(Everyone in the entire town have watched and heard everything, and since it was now clear to them all, that Jin wants to save them, instead of helping to cause more trouble, so they quietly cheered for him. Kuma simply starts to growl in a way, that nearly sounded like he was scoffing.)

Kuma: "(Fool… I show no mercy towards those, who dared to mock the name of the Mishimas… Jin Kazama, your days are over. Now, it's time to die.)"

Kuma then attacks, by slamming his claws into the building, in hopes of impaling Jin with his natural weapon, but he dodged in time and starts to hit his paw with super-strong kicks, which hurt him so badly, that he was forced to retreat it fast. And now he does the same again, only with the other paw, but once again, Jin dodges his attack in time and since it got stuck in the roof for a moment, the Karate master uses this to his advantage and attacks Kuma, by stomping on his paw, which again caused the bear to growl in agony. The huge bear then tries something new… he slams his paw into the ground, directly under the building and attempts to surprise-attack Jin, by letting the claws smash from below through the ground and he succeeds in hitting Jin directly with the attack, which causes him to crash against the edge of the building. Kuma then grabs the asian fighter and smashes him against the building, which caused many viewers of the spectacle to gasp in horror, but before Kuma could succeed in hitting Jin a second time against the building, Jin uses all of his strength to the edge of his comprehension, to get out of Kuma's grip… in which he succeeded, just in time. He lands back on the platform and pants from using this much power. His jacket was torn in half from the harsh impact, he had bruises all over his body and he was bleeding from his forehead. But he quickly gets back and gets back into his fighting stance. Kuma growls angrily and slams both of his claws on Jin, and they hit him, but to the bear's shock, Jin caught the paws and struggles with keeping them away from him and from squashing him. "(Prepare to be squashed!)". "Over my dead body!". Kuma growls angrily and uses more strength against the young Kazama, but he refuses to let himself get squashed by the bear and so he starts screaming, while the ki in his body increased in speed, which causes him to spark red around his body, which helped him to overpower the bear and to let him tumble backwards, which made him all the more angry. He pants in exhaustion, but he knew, that Kuma would never give up so easily, so he stands there, being really exhausted from the amount of ki he used. Then Kuma shrieks angrily like a monster and then runs on all fours to Jin, attempting so smash him, but when he reached the building, Jin quickly jumps off and lands on his shoulder. Kuma quickly tries to shake the brawler off, but it wasn't possible, as Jin clings on him as hard as possible and then Jin uses the opportunity to climb up next to Kuma's head and then charges up his strongest punch, 'Avenger'. He then punches Kuma in the head, causing him to comically see stars and nearly fall to the side. Jin quickly jumps off the huge bear and lands on the ground. Kuma then crashes into a building, that luckily is empty. And when that happened, some people brought themselves to come out and then applaud Jin for saving them. Jin was really surprised, because he didn't expect people to actually watch his doing and since they are applauding him, he isn't used to that and couldn't help, but blush a bit in embarrassment for the respect he receives.

Boy #1: "Wow! You were really awesome-sauce! Do that again!"

Man #1: "That's what I call a true man!"

Woman #3: "He is so attractive for a simple hero…"

(Jin blushes a bit and scratches the back of his head.)

Jin: "Hehehe… better don't mention it, it was nothing special…"

Man #2: "Nothing special? You just saved us from a monster and protected the forest! How can we not mention such braveness from someone like you!"

Journalist: "That's what I call a good title! A former criminal saves the whole town in Yakushima! This will sell like hot rice!"

(But suddenly, they all hear an angry shrieking, which caused all the people to rush back to their hiding-places. Jin becomes serious again and makes himself ready for what is coming to him. Kuma is looking down at Jin disdainfully and growls.)

Kuma: "(This is the last straw! I am sick of your dirty tricks! Nobody mocks me and laughs!)"

(But then Jin remembers the plan. He looks at the bear and narrows his eyes.)

Jin: "You want a true battle! Then follow me into the forest! This is where we will settle things for all times!"

(Jin then starts to make a run for it, out of the city, which made the people surprised, but they quickly realized, what he was trying to do.)

Man #2: "He tries to lure the bear out of the town! Now that's clever, I suppose. Better a smash than a squash."

(Kuma quickly runs after the young Kazama.)

Kuma: "(Hey, you stay here you coward! Come back here and fight like a man!)"

(Kuma runs on all four after Jin, while he has to dodge plenty of obstacles and rubble from the demolished buildings on the way out of the town, th. Even though the bear had no problems with getting through the buildings, they still held him back from reaching higher speed, in order to catch Jin, because they keep getting in his way and so is the young Kazama in luck and makes it out of the city in no time.)

(Meanwhile with Hwoarang…)

(He has climbed with his motorcycle on the roof of the water-tower, just like his best friend told him to do so and right now, is he waiting impatiently for the two foes to finally pass by the tower, so that he can let his bike crash against Kuma's head…)

Hwoarang: "Man, where is that disgrace to the world of animals?! In his case, I would better pray now for my life, if he should have dared to squash Jin under his dirty claws!"

(He then sighs and whistles a song in boredom, while watching the sky clearing from all the dark clouds and the sun shines through them, which lightened up Hwo's mood a little.)

Hwoarang: "Hey, the sun shines again… and for some reason, I like the good view, that you get from this point on. Very impressive…"

(He then hears loud rustling in the distance and birds flying out of the trees in panic, as the gigantic bear is running after Jin, who can't be seen, because of all the trees blocking the sight from Hwoarang's point of view. The korean Taekwando master starts to smirk and chuckles.)

Hwoarang: "Oh yeah, it appears he made it… now it's on! The only thing that could blow our plan up, is now Kuma spotting me up here, but he can't, because the roof is bent like an apron, so he won't see me, until the moment of impact! This will be good…"

(Jin keeps running away, while Kuma simply destroys everything that gets in his way, while then after a while of tedious avoiding of obstacles, Jin spots the tower and runs in the direction, where it is.)

Jin: "There is the tower! Now all I have to do, is luring Kuma in this direction! Then Hwoarang can hit him against the head some more!"

(Jin is running faster at this point, which brings the completely enraged bear to follow him again and by now, he has become so angry, that he doesn't watch anymore where he goes. Hwoarang starts the engine of his motorcycle, let the wheels run hot to reach higher acceleration and gets ready for Jin to give the signal. And when Jin goes past the tower, he screams at the top of his lungs.)

Jin: "NOW!"

(When Kuma heard that, he stopped in his tracks, looking elsewhere in a confused way to see, who Jin was referring to with that scream. Hwoarang then speeds off from the roof and yells out.)

Hwoarang: "Here I am, sucker! SURPRISE!"

(Kuma looked shocked in the direction where the korean biker is flying against with his motorcycle and it happened so fast, that the bear had no chance of dodging the incoming ambush, so… Hwoarang laughs, waves his enemy goodbye and jumps off his bike and let the vehicle hit the huge bear against his head. Hwo was falling down fast, so Jin was forced to catch his friend, which succeeded. Both smile a bit at each other and Hwoarang wants to do a high-five with Jin, in which he first hesitated, but then chuckles and returns the high-five.)

Hwoarang: "Man, I thought for a moment, that you were already turned into bear-food. But you pulled through!"

Jin: "Heh, you won't get me off so easy."

(Then both quickly turn their heads to see the huge Kuma comically seeing stars swirling around his head and his tongue sticking out in a funny way, but both weren't laughing. Instead, they became serious and run to him. Then Hwoarang spots one bear on Kuma's chest, that had a different colour than the other bears. It was a more darker red-brown.)

Hwoarang: "One last thing to do. We have to hit this bear in his chest somehow!"

Jin: "Which bear?"

Hwoarang: "The one with the color that is standing out from all the others! My guess, is that is the spot, where Kuma is the most sensitive and if we hit that one bear, Kuma will fall to pieces and all that is left, is he himself, because we will let these little nuisances retreat back to the dirty hole where they came from!"

Jin: "And I already know, how we will get up there! You have to kick me upwards like a catapult!"

Hwoarang: "How shall that work?"

Jin: "Simple. Raise one of your legs in the air, jump, while I am still on one of your legs and then I jump off and finish the job!"

Hwoarang: "OK, but you have to do it in the right moment, or else we will fall flat on our faces!"

Jin: "That won't happen! NOW!"

(Hwoarang raises one of his legs, let Jin land on it, after he jumped, jumps higher in the air and then kicks Jin more higher at the precise height of the red-brown bear. And when the bear sees Jin, who prepares his fist for one last attack, it starts sweating nervously and panics in a cartoonish way. Jin's right first starts to spark red and then dashes forward and then punches the red bear so hard, that it causes the entire body of the huge Kuma to shiver and then all the little bears fall on the ground and run away in panic and Kuma simply crashes on the grass and groans in pure pain. Jin then lands flawlessly on the ground and Hwoarang comes to him and gives him a light punch against the shoulder.)

Hwoarang: "Jin… I think, you found your way again…"

Jin: "Well, it's definitely one step in the right direction, I can't deny that. By the way… where is your bike?"

(Hwoarang's eyes wide and then looks around, only to then see his motorcycle. Or… better said, what remained of his motorcycle. It exploded to smithereens, right after the vehicle crashed into Kuma's head and all that remained, were little pipes and plenty of nails and shattered glass. The korean biker kneels towards what is left of his motorcycle and picks up two pipes, looking at them in a really sad way, before letting his head hang and starting to speak.)

Hwoarang: "We pulled through… but it appears, she didn't make it… great…"

(But then Jin comes and taps his shoulder, obviously reminding him of his promise. Hwoarang looked up to Jin and he then says.)

Jin: "I promise you… I will fix that… that is my promise to you."

(Hwoarang then stands back up and then hugs Jin, while still looking sad and Jin hugs back and tapping his back. Then they stopped hugging and Hwoarang looked over to Kuma's unconscious body.)

Hwoarang: "What shall we do with him? Shall we send him back to the zoo?"

(Jin shakes his head and looks at Kuma.)

Jin: "No, let him be. He isn't worth it… he only came here, because of his blind thirst for revenge, focused only on me… I think, Heihachi let him live free in the wilderness again, but it appears... he went off-road and instead somehow found his way here… let him live here in peace. He should no longer live under the hand of a man, that only used him as a weapon and nothing else… he deserves better."

(Hwoarang then looks at Jin in surprised, but quickly stops and then speaks again, while smiling.)

Hwoarang: "Let us return to the town and ask the major there for a boat, that shall lead to China."

(Jin then looks at him in a confused way.)

Jin: "Why China? And… isn't that a bit risky? Keep in mind, I am still a hunted man. The whole world is looking for me and if I make one wrong step, they will definitely find many different ways to get rid of me."

(Hwoarang then taps him on the shoulder in an encouraging way.)

Hwoarang: "Jin. Your life has to change. You can't expect to live here for the rest of your life, disbanded from the society. That must stop. And don't worry about that minor problem of being spotted anywhere. I am sure the people here are willing to help you, now that we saved them all from Kuma and this won't be much of a problem will it?"

(Then he starts to smirks.)

Hwoarang: "And… why China you may ask? Because there is a certain person, that is begging to see you again."

(Jin's eyes wide, as he knew, who Hwoarang was referring to.)

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. The Journey Begins

**Chapter 3: The Journey Begins**

(Jin just closes his suitcase, after packing in all the stuff, that he will need on his way out of Yakushima and just when he closed it, he looked down and then raises his head to look around the room one last time, before putting on his red-black leather jacket, pulling the hoodie over his head, zips his jacket up, picks up his suitcase, leaves his room and then opens the door to leave the house… right after he had passed the garden, he looks back one last time, to take a good look at his house, with a hint of sadness behind his eyes, as he was about to leave the place where he spent his entire childhood with his mother… he then keeps moving forwards, until he meets Hwoarang, who is waiting for him in a clearing, leaned in a chilled way against Jin's bike with a smirk on his face.)

Hwoarang: "Well, buddy? Ready for the journey? Because I will guarantee right off the bat, that you won't return here for a while. And do you have everything you need?"

(Jin nods and then looks at his friend with a somewhat worried look on his face.)

Jin: "I have everything necessary for a journey…"

(The troubled look on Jin's face made Hwo curious and so he asked with the typical smirk of his remaining.)

Hwoarang: "What's the matter? Are you nervous, because you will expect to be greeted and worshipped like a king by the people you saved from that gigantic bear?"

Jin: "Kind of… let's just say, I am not used to applause… yesterday was embarrassing enough for me personally, but today, I will expect it to be worse, because… I never got applause from anyone, not even a friendly greeting…"

(Hwoarang then starts to laugh and puts one arm around his friend's shoulder.)

Hwoarang: "Haha, oh come on, this won't be as bad as you think! This is a good thing! And besides, you were the one who saved them all and saving an entire town from a monster is one hell of an accomplishment! And try to look at this on the bright sight, because not only did you prove to a bunch of citizens, that you are a changed man, but you also proved to YOU yourself, that you DO have changed and even I am the one experienced this change… there is no reason to be worried, if I were you, Jin."

(Jin then turns his gaze over to his best friend and his sad expression becomes a somewhat happier one with a small smile.)

Jin: "…Maybe you're right. But I still have to see that for myself… and don't forget. Just because I saved one town, that is far from enough for myself to count as the utter truth of my redemption… we would have to do something bigger than that, but let's see."

Hwoarang: "That's the spirit! Now let's go! The major is waiting for us at the docks!"

Jin: "Away we go then."

(Jin packs the suitcase at the back of the bike, gets on his motorcycle, Hwoarang jumps behind and makes himself comfortable for the ride. Jin then turns on the engine and both quickly make their to the town, where they were greeted by dozens of citizens, waiting for Jin's and Hwoarang's arrival. Just like the korean Taekwando master foretold, as they drove through the crowd in walking speed, all the people applaused and cheered for the young Kazama, which made him feel embarrassed again and made him blush… just like he said before, he wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Hwoarang could help, but chuckle at Jin's blushing as this was actually the second time, where he sees his friend blushing in embarrassment. He then taps him on the shoulder in an encouraging way, which calmed Jin down a bit. Soon, they reached the pier, where the major is waiting for them. He then steps forward and bows politely before Jin, which made him bow back. The major then commands his bodyguards to tells the people to calm down, so that he can make his speech. He then clears his voice.)

Major: "I, the major of Yakushima, thank you sincerely for your help, Jin Kazama. You have proven, that you are still a true hero deep inside your heart and as a present for your huge courage, I will assist you on your journey in redeeming yourself for the former crimes you committed."

(He points over to the boat, that just arrived. It's a huge motorboat with six people at the prow.)

Major: "This boat shall lead you safely to the main land and my sons shall support you on your way. Do not worry about being seen. I've informed one of my closest friends in China, that he shall give you a safe journey through the country. Thank you again for your help... and good luck. May you return someday in all health."

(Jin bows politely and smiles.)

Jin: "Thank you. I appreciate your assistance and I will make sure to repay this kindness you showed me."

(Then all the people begin to clap and cheer loudly again, as Jin and Hwoarang then enter the boat and both wave at the crowds of people cheering for them both. After they left the island and become far enough to not hear the crowd anymore, both then sit down on the bench near the prow of the motorboat. Hwoarang then lightly elbows Jin, with a smirk on his face.)

Hwoarang: "Well? How does it feel being loved, Kazama?"

(Jin looks down and stutters a bit.)

Jin: "It's pretty... unusual, to say the least. But I can't deny, that it gives me this warm and mutual feeling inside me... I never felt this way, to tell you the truth..."

Hwoarang: "This feeling is called "satisfaction", if this is the definition you're looking for."

Jin: "Whatever…"

Hwoarang: "C'mon, cheer up! We're going to China and… we both know, who is there begging to see you again."

(Jin looks up in surprise as he nearly forgot about her.)

Jin: "Xiao…!"

(When he rememberd about her, he then started to look sad and then let his head hang, which made Hwoarang confused and concerned at the same time.)

Hwoarang: "What's the matter, Jin? Aren't you happy, that you are going to be reunited with her again?"

(He then sighs in a depressed way, as the sea-wind brushes softly through his bangs, making them move in a dance-like motion.)

Jin: "I should, but… I have to confess, that my feeling tells me, that I shouldn't meet here, because for several reasons."

Hwoarang: "And they are?"

Jin: "First, I haven't seen her, since the 3rd tournament to be precise... second, I have rejected her for nearly four years and by now, chances are high, that she probably doesn't care about me anymore... and third, she probably hates me, because I started the war in the past... there is no way, she could have forgiven me for that. You see what I mean?"

(Hwoarang understood now, but then he smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder and chuckles.)

Hwoarang: "So that's why… well, what if I tell ya… that she was looking for you the whole time and still does?"

(When Jin heard that, his eyes wide a bit in surprise and then looks at Hwoarang, before asking in a baffled tone.)

Jin: "…What?"

Hwoarang: "And what if I even mention, that she actually tried to SAVE you, when you started the war?"

Jin: "Huh?"

Hwoarang: "I am not kidding with you. She seriously looked everywhere for you, once you started the war. She even asked me to help, but unfortunately I couldn't, since I was part of the resistance back then, but... the fact remains. She was looking for you desperately and she said herself, that she was deeply worried about you, despite everything you've done... because she knew, that deep inside you, you're not a bad person… and now I believe her, after seeing what you've done the other day."

(Jin's eyes wide, but then he becomes truly sad at this point and let his head hang again.)

Jin: "Why did I expect less from her…? Now I feel like the biggest douchebag that ever existed…"

(Hwoarang taps his shoulder.)

Hwoarang: "Hey, look at me."

(He sighs before looking at him)

Hwoarang: "There is no reason to feel this way, because everything of that, that happened, is in the past now, and I'm pretty sure that once Xiaoyu will see you… she will squeal like a little girl on christmas and will hug you like crazy."

Jin: "What makes you so sure about it, because... I once told her, during the 5th tournament, that she shall stay away from me, the tournament and my problems as it shouldn't even concern her, what I was doing. Again, are you really sure about what you told me a few moments ago? Because she probably got mature and finally learned, that I am not worth saving... that I am a lost cause."

(Hwoarang looks at him in a concerned way.)

Hwoarang: "Jin... she NEVER gave you up..."

(Jin's eyes wide in shock as he then looks at Hwoarang.)

Jin: "What are you trying to say?"

Hwoarang: "You heard me. Despite, rejecting her, she never EVER gave you up! 'Cause she knew that the reason why you were pleading her to stop following you and that she should stop concerning too much about you...is because you didn't want her to get hurt...you CARED about her! And she is aware of it! Because she cares about you as well! And I am pretty sure, that you did all this, because of that one reason, ain't I right?"

(Jin looks down again.)

Hwoarang: "And there is something, that I need to tell you... after the 7th tournament, Xiaoyu caught wind of what happened between you and Heihachi during the 3rd tournament and how he betrayed you and guess what? At first, she didn't want to believe it, but as she got to know more and more about what really happened, she felt nothing more than pure disgust, by what that old fart did to you and she started to hate him, just as much as you did and she has EVERY right to do so, if you ask me... considering the fact, that Heihachi was much worse than you, when it comes to all the crimes that he committed in total."

(When Jin heard every single detail, that his best friend just mentioned, he became serious and then glared at him, which made him nervous. Then Jin stood up in a very angry manner and slowly walks towards his best friend, while then asking.)

Jin: "From where did you get all these informations?"

(As Hwoarang was too confused at first to answer, he then suddenly gets grabbed by the deeply angered young Kazama by the throat, while he looks in his eyes in a threatening way.)

Hwoarang: "H-Hey! W-What are you going?! H-Have you gone nuts?!"

Jin: "Tell me immediately from where you got all these information! And since we are now on that topic… from where did you know, that I live in Yakushima anyway?! Nobody, except my mother, know where my home is and no one else shall even know about it, so how come YOU know everything! Tell me! Did someone tell you to lure me in and maybe send me into prison?!"

Hwoarang: "No, nobody sent me! I came by myself and I will tell you everything, but please! Let me down first!"

(Jin pants and then let go of Hwoarang, who starts to cough like crazy from the immense strength of Jin's grip, who now folded his arms and started to glare at him in all seriousness.)

Jin: "Speak."

(Hwoarang then holds up his hands in defense, while sweating nervously.)

Hwoarang: "Just so you know, before you think, that I only came for you, just to spy on you, because someone told me so, you're way off! I never asked for these informations! I only got them through plain coincidence and nothing more!"

Jin: "Then who told you everything of what you just mentioned a few moments ago? The only people - that I know of -, that are aware of my current location, are Lars and my mother."

(When Jin mentioned Jun, his eyes wide in shock, as he now realizes something.)

Jin: "Come to think of it… Lars left earlier than Jun, which could only mean… did my mother sent you all these messages, or talked to you secretly?!"

(Hwoarang looks confused and raises one eye-brow.)

Hwoarang: "Your mother? …Can't tell… because the person, who I met right after the 7th tournament, was covered in a black cloak and she/he had a hoodie over the head, so I couldn't tell from a perspective view, who it was. And the voice didn't sound female in the slightest, if anything, it sounded more like a dude, so it couldn't have been your mother, who told me everything of your story."

(Jin began to become nervous as hell, but he tried to hide, which sadly failed, because he didn't want any trouble with anyone, if they finally should arrive in China, so he raised his voice a bit.)

Jin: "Then who was it?!"

Hwoarang: "I don't know, Jin! Jeez, is it rocket-science, that you can't tell who it is, when the person is clothed in a way, that never helps you in any way to tell who it is?!"

Jin: "You should know something, god damn it! It can't be, that you can't tell who it was, because you could have at least tried to tell, to who the voice belonged to!"

Hwoarang: "Who am I? A fucking fortune-teller?! Not many faces, that are connected to your incidents, am I familiar with, so stop this asking, this won't get us anywhere, as I know nothing about that person and not even his/her voice did ring a bell in my mind!"

(While they argued, they started to glare at each other angrily and panted from raising their voices while arguing, but then Jin is the first to look sad and so he stop glaring and instead sits back down on the bench, while covering his face in shame.)

Jin: "My apologies for that outburst… you should know, I don't feel comfortable at all, with all of this here… it happens all too fast… we're not even ten minutes out on the sea, and I already am starting to feel unsafe, away from my home, the safest place on earth for me…"

(Hwoarang understood what his friend currently has to experience at the moment, and he knows he needs time to get used to it, so instead of arguing with him more, like he usually did in the past when they encounter, he taps him on the shoulder in an encouraging way.)

Hwoarang: "Don't sweat it, buddy. I sense, that you are beginning to already feel home-sick, am I right?"

(Jin nods and sighs.)

Jin: "Yes… how right you are… and also, I feel ashamed of that fact…"

Hwoarang: "It's normal, you'll get used to this, trust me."

Jin: "I hope…"

(Then the young japanese looks up and looks around to see where they currently are and then he asks his friend, in a confused tone.)

Jin: "Ummmmm… did the major yesterday mention anything about how long this journey will take?"

(Hwoarang scratches his head and shrugs.)

Hwoarang: "Well, considering the fact, that Yakushima is an island, that is FAR away from China or Hong Kong, my guess would be, since I didn't bother to ask him sadly, that it will take… a whole week."

(Jin raises one eye-brow and looks puzzled.)

Jin: "You sure? Because I don't want to be caught on the sea with all of you on board, the longer we sail through the ocean."

Hwoarang: "I will ask the captain…"

(Hwoarang goes to the captain's office and then starts to speak with him.)

Hwoarang: "Ummmm… what route are you planning to take, so that we can arrive in time in China?"

(The captain looks up, as he just looked through a map to make the course more clear for himself and then speaks with the korean biker with a smile and in a friendly tone.)

Captain: "Oh, you two young ones are in luck, because we will use the short-cut I just found a few moments ago!"

Hwoarang: "A short-cut?!"

Captain: "Oh yes, believe it or not, I've been sailing from Yakushima across the asian oceans for years and there was one route, that was once protected by the chinese government, to prevent japanese pirates from invading the small countryside of the more southern part of China! The route was like a cave with a river and it was used by the fishermen to catch their own cash and food into their bags, but ever since the economy improved over the years in China and the marketing became better, many fishermen left the village and the route remained abandoned to this day… but not forgotten. The reason, why we will use this route, is because the time we will need to reach the southern part of the chinese mainland, will only need HALF of the whole week and since there are no guards anymore, none of us has to worry of being detected by any guards."

(That message made Hwo smirk dirty and then bows to the captain before running out of the office. Once he came back, he immediately starts to talk with his best friend.)

Hwoarang: "No, I have to correct you… we will take a non-protected short-cut, that will only need a half week to get to China!"

(That made Jin smile reliefed, because he knew now, that there was no reason to be worried about the safety of the people and his best friend on-board anymore.)

Jin: "Now I feel better, that cheered me up, Hwo."

Hwoarang: "Hehe! Not a problem, Kazama!"

(Jin then allows himself to lay back on the bench and stretch himself to relax his muscles and then sighs in contentment, for the first time.)

Jin: "You know, I have to confess… that it does feel kind of enjoyable to be under friends…"

(Hwoarang grins and then does the same, what Jin just did and looks at him with a grin.)

Hwoarang: "That's a good start, keep goin'…"

(Hwoarang then starts to smirk, while still looking at his japanese friend.)

Hwoarang: "And? Still nervous of finally seeing Xiao again, after all these years?"

(Jin nods.)

Jin: "Yes... I mean... not only didn't we see each other for a long time... we also never did anything together, especially since the time, where I still was in high school and I first met her... I want to make it up to her..."

(Hwoarang couldn't help, but grin on the inside, because he sees now Jin realizing, how much Xiaoyu was actually important in his life. But then, he became curious and then asks.)

Hwoarang: "And now you made me suspicious, Kazama… say, how was your first impression on her, when you and Ling first encountered one another in high school?"

(Jin scratches the back of his head and chuckles a bit.)

Jin: "To be perfectly honest, I never had ANY impression on her in any, because… do I need to explain why? Because chances are, you already know the answers."

(But then he starts to look melancholic again.)

Jin: "If it wasn't for my mother's disappearance, I would have probably never been this numb around myself. I pretty much just denied the more relevant things in life, rather than blind revenge... that is sad, but the cold truth… and believe it or not, I am ashamed of myself, for realizing all this all too late…"

Hwoarang: "Well, that sucks, man… but, I must ask, did she "stalk" you, or harassed you in doing something with her in any way? Because she sure looks like she is able to do that with her childish quirkiness."

Jin: "Oh, that is not deniable, that she can be strange sometimes, but… other than that, she didn't stalk me or anything, because she was actually well-behaved, especially in my presence, because she understood my personality. She understood me more, than anybody else, yet… I can't brush it off, that there really were times, where she DID get on my last nerve, but this was a minor problem, at least for me. She was really polite and I bet with you, that she still is… and out of all the things, that I like the most about her, is her cheerful altitude… I just couldn't help, but smile on the inside, whenever I saw her being the cheerful little girl that she is… she never ceased to brighten up my days…"

(While Jin said all that, he was at the brink of tears again, but not in a sad way, because he was smiling, but then he sighs.)

Jin: "Even though, it was really tedious with her sometimes, it was an enjoyable time with her and that was the only part of my life, that didn't make me all the more bemused towards reality."

(Hwoarang taps him on the shoulder smirks.)

Hwoarang: "Now didn't THAT feel good back then, huh?"

Jin: "Oh yes, definitely. But… there is one question in my mind, that now seeks to be answered for me… since we are now at the topic of Xiao… how is her life going on right now? I am really curious, because ever since the conflict of the Mishimas found an end, something must have happened in her life, may it be positive or negative, so what happened?"

(Hwoarang was starting to feel uneasy on the inside, because he knew now, that Jin needed to know the truth.)

Hwoarang: "…You really wanna know? Because I will tell you right away, that she is not only negatively affect, because of nearly giving up on looking for you, but also because of something more family-related and even personal struggle..."

(Jin then becomes deeply concerned, when he heard that, so he grabs Hwo by his arms and looks at him in a seriously worried and almost pleading way.)

Jin: "Tell me now. Whatever happened, I want to make her happy again. I never had the chance to do so and the fact, that I was never there for her, when she actually needed me, makes me feel dreadful on the inside, so tell me now!"

(Hwoarang sighs.)

Hwoarang: "Well, let me recap and let's keep it short... 1. No CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu = The high school had to close until a new CEO was found = Xiaoyu had to leave Japan and return to China to find a job there = No success so far. 2. Her grandfather became ill = so badly, that he now has to spend the rest of his time in the hospital, until he is recovered. 3. Xiaoyu has to take care of her grandfather AND her own life = She becomes so stressed, that she became emotionally numb = She suffers under serious depression and exhaustion and gets burn-outs at some occasions. Did I forget something?

(Jin's eyes wide more in shock.)

Jin: "Oh goodness… are you for real?"

Hwoarang: "Sadly yes… but I believe, that the only one, who could cure her now, is you and you only."

(Jin was still in shock and lays his head back on the bench, while sniffing a bit out of sadness.)

Jin: "So… if I got that right, her life has become just as miserable as mine… similar to how my life was, when I first met her…"

Hwoarang: "Yeah, but…"

(He smiles and wraps one arm around his best friend to comfort him.)

Hwoarang: "There is no doubt about it anymore. This is your chance to shine again, Jin. This is your chance to prove her, how much you've actually always cared about her, aside from your mother, even to this day! And once you do it man, this will be one hell of a step ahead in the right direction for your redemption!"

Jin: "Now that you mention it… you're right…"

Hwoarang: "And this is why I will always support you! We're friends, right? And we will pull through this together, are ya with me!"

(Jin starts to smile again and he does a bro-fist with him, making Hwo smirk in a pleased way.)

Jin: "Oh, indeed! I couldn't agree with you more… now I am slowly starting to understand the true values of friendship… I feel it, slightly getting there for me."

Hwoarang: "That's good, Jin. You can always count on me, partner."

(Hwoarang starts to smirk in a challenging way and slams his fists against one another.)

Hwoarang: "And hey! I am in the mood for some training! I hope you are ready for this, because I've been looking forward to fight you again."

Jin: "Alright then, but wait… is there a training-room on this huge boat?"

Hwoarang: "No, we have to sleep and train outside, of course we have a training-room, we have everything! A cinema-room, our own cabins where we can sleep and the most important, a training-room with weights and everything, that a fighter needs to iron his body!"

(Jin couldn't help, but whistle a bit in amazement.)

Jin: "That sure is a lot, for a boat, that isn't actually that huge, when you think about it. But anyway, let's do it…"

(He looks at Hwoarang in a serious, but challenging way.)

Jin: "…because this is actually the first time, where I look forward in fighting you. I want to see, how strong you've gotten. Give me everything you have!"

(Both bump their fists together and Hwo smirks.)

Hwoarang: "Alright then… here goes nothing!"

(Later, they both enter their own cabin and both take out their respective clothes, which they always wear during training or plain sparring. Jin changes into his red flame-trousers with the protecting gloves and foot-pads and Hwoarang changes into his typical white Taekwando-clothing with the black belt and blue gloves and foot-protectors. Jin was already in the training-room, lifting a few weights to warm himself up for the match. Then Hwoarang arrives and when he sees his friend in his old trousers, he shakes his head and laughs, while smirking.)

Hwoarang: "Seriously? You go with the same old style again? Tsk, tsk, tsk… You know what, it's gettin' old, don't ya think?"

Jin: "Heh, look who is talking. I know you for four years and you still use this outfit, while we were fighting, so technically, this doesn't make you better."

(Hwoarang gets into his fighting stance and rubs under his nose with one finger.)

Hwoarang: "C'mon slowpoke! Wanna fight or have another boring chit-chat with me?!"

(Jin scoffs and then dashes towards the Blood Talon within the blink of an eye and attempts to punch him, but Hwoarang quickly counters with a super-fast kick. But then, both do a quick backflip and then start to warm up, by kicking and punching around. Jin, was the first to demonstrate. He shows Hwo, how fast he has become ever since their first encounter and the velocity of his attacks surely were something admirable, even Hwo impressed it, but then he smirks to show off his speed, and Jin became also baffled at Hwo's agility, but then Jin stops the warm up with a thrust of a punch forward and a slight smirk on his face.)

Jin: "To answer your previous question… I think we better let our punches and kicks speak instead."

(Hwoarang smirks and jumps up and down to warm up his feet, ready for his kicks.)

Hwoarang: "You just took the words out of my mouth, Kazama! HAVE AT YOU!"

(Both run towards each other, ready for the coming clash…)

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. A Reunion With Curing Impact

**Chapter 4: A Reunion With Curing Impact**

(BGM for the situation: Kiba's Theme)

The sparring session began… first, it started with a super-hard impact between a kick and punch from each Hwoarang and Jin, their attacks clashed and the battle just really began from here. They struggle to keep up with each other's agility, but it appears, that Hwo was slightly more faster than the japanese, which baffled Jin, as it was always him overpowering his best friend, but up to this point, he didn't expect such a thing to happen… his friend, overpowers him in terms of speed… but then both quickly do a backflip and then dash into each other again, only at this time, Jin dodges Hwo's 'Dynamite Heel' by quickly stepping aside and then dashing forward with a powerful 'Right Roundhouse Punch', sending him flying back, but he stops the fall, by letting his feet rub against the floor and then the korean prodigy runs back towards Jin, attacking him with two punches from left and right, managing to land the two hits on him, but Jin dodges the incoming kick from the left, by doing a backflip and then a handstand, only to do another backflip to then jump back. Jin rubs his cheek from the the punches, with his right fist and when he looked at his hand, he realizes, that a little drop of blood was on his hand, coming from the wound he got from the punching and he then looks at Hwoarang in a baffled manner. "You… you actually managed… to put a scratch on me?". That comment, made the korean prodigy smirk. "Hehe! This is what you call, 'fruits of the hard work', so to speak and it's all thanks to the best Taekwando teacher in whole Korea! But you weren't half bad either! This is the first time in years, that I ever got to feel 'real' pain, it feels so good!". Jin chuckles and shake his head. "You haven't changed one bit, Hwo… but like what they say, it's comforting to know, that some things never change… you're one of those cases.". Hwoarang chuckles and gets back into his stance, starting then to run towards Jin once again, only to then attack him with a super-fast combo of kicks, coming from left and right, but Jin manages to avoid all of them, before grabbing one of his feet and then smashing him against the floor with his back. Jin then punches down against his chest, but then Hwo surprises him with a kick against his stomach, making him spit from the sudden attack and Hwo uses this as his chance to rise Jin up in the air with his foot still pressed against his stomach and then throws him against the wooden wall of the boat, causing it a bit to shake from the impact. Jin lands on all his fours. "Sometimes, you're really cheap, you know what?". He runs to his friend, attempting to hit him up in the air, but Hwo is about to spoil that plan, by performing a 'Tsunami Kick' on his friend, but the young Kazama manages to dodge it in time, by stepping aside in the last second and then let his friend fly up in the air, through a 'Thrusting Uppercut' against his chin, which not only made Hwoarang look shocked, but also made him spit blood from the incredibly powerful impact against his chin, making him then flying high up in the air. Hwo looks down at Jin, who then forms a somewhat ominous smirk on his face. "You wanna see, how much I improved over the years, well… this is the chance and now take a good look.".

(BGM for the situation: Sasuke's Rage Theme)

Jin's body starts to spark red and he then dashes forward to then keep juggling his friend, to keep him up in the air, preventing him from falling back on the ground and giving him enough reaction-time to defend himself. Jin starts the juggle with 'Double Lift Kick', followed by another 'Thrusting Uppercut', which made Hwo spit blood again from the immense force behind the punch, hitting against his back and Jin then performs one of his feared moves. 'Savage Sword'. He jabs Hwo with it two times, before kicking them against his stomach with the roundhouse kick and he ends the juggle with 'Double Chamber Punch', sending flying against the opposite wall and letting his crash against it. Jin wipes the sweat dripping from his cheek and looks at his friend with an exhausted grin. "And? Is that the pain you longed for?". Hwoarang slowly gets back on his feet and laughs, while then wiping the dirt off his clothes and cracking his jaw a little. "Wow, this was some harsh shit right there, man! Didn't expect it to be this good though, but wait! You ARE the best! You just proved to me, you're still in perfect shape! You haven't lost your touch, but too bad, because…". Hwoarang then looks at Jin with a really mean smirk. "…now it's my turn to show, what kind of wood I am made of! You're not the only one, who has gotten better. When it comes to kicks, I'm the top dog in this category and now… let me demonstrate, WHY this is considered my second surname.".

(BGM for the situation: Kiba's Rage Theme)

Hwoarang's body gets covered in a thin blue light, which baffled Jin a bit, which turned out to be a fatal mistake, as he was now vulnerable to Hwo's super-fast kicks. Much like Jin, he uppercuts the young Kazama with a kick up in the air, and starts his own juggle. He first performs 'Firecracker' to keep Jin from hitting the ground and keeps hitting upwards with 'Left Plasma Blade', followed up by an 'Air Raid' against Jin's back, making him spit as well from the agility and power combined in Hwo's kicks and the korean Taekwando master ends the spectacular juggle with a 'Torpedo Kick', making him crash with incrediblely high force against the wall and making fall on the ground. Hwoarang pants in pure exhaustion as the aura around him fades away into thin air and he wipes his forehead from all the sweat, caused by the tiring combo. Jin then groans from the hard crash and slowly stands back up, stretching himself. "Oh goodness, I didn't expect this much power from someone, who is not a Mishima or Kazama… and this is actually the first time, where someone actually managed to inflict damage on me, aside from Kazuya and Heihachi, and you're not even close to their league… just wow… you really got better, Hwo… kudos for what…". Hwoarang smirks and winks. "Well, like I said before… it's called 'fruits of the hard work'… and all this practicing seemed to have paid off… hehehe.". He gives him an exhausted thumb up and Jin returns the thumb up without hesitation this time, as he is impressed by how much his best friend has improved over the past two years, after their second encounter.

(Both then sit down on a bench, after doing a little more workout with lifting weights and training with a boxing sack, with towels wrapped over their shoulders, keeping the sweat from dripping down their backs and both drink their energy drinks.)

Jin: "I have to admit, I missed this kind of training… after I became the CEO of the MZ, I was ALWAYS alone and I never let anyone train with me, as this would have been too risky for all of my people involved, but… with the devilish part of my soul being now sealed away, I feel like reborn and this is proves to me, that I am safe to train with anyone, without fearing of become a menace to all of us again."

Hwoarang: "Well, all's well that ends well, like what they say, bud! That's the Jin I know. We shall do this again some other time!"

Jin: "And now… let's simply lay back… which is odd for me, because I never relaxed one time, but my guess is that it will feel good, for not being put under immense stress for once, I guess…"

Hwoarang: "And how can the perfect day end? Why with an awesome movie, beer and burgers! That is what I imagine of a perfect evening under friends!"

(Jin smiles a bit and nods.)

Jin: "OK then, lead the way. Do what you think is right way to enjoy the last hours of the day."

(Hwoarang laughs and smirks.)

Hwoarang: "Then let me pull you through the night, because it's still one hell of a young night!"

(Both then stand up, took showers to clean themselves from the training, put on casual clothes and then went to the bar of the motorboat to fetch some beer. As soon as they got two whole six-pack of beers, they also went out of their way to buy some burgers and then went away to get to the little cinema, that is located above their room. They spent the whole night having the fun of their lives and Jin is, despite the fact, that he wasn't used to this kind of life-style, actually starting to appreciate this as "fun", as he and his best friend watch the classics of the movies over the past two decades and as soon as it became really late, both went exhausted, but satisfied, back to their room and let themselves fall on their beds and Hwo couldn't help, but growl and stretch himself on the bed in pleasure from the crazy night they just had together and he breaks the silence, by having another conversation with his best friend.)

Hwoarang: "And Kazama? How does it feel, having fun for once instead of being a complete borefest?"

Jin: "It surely was "fascinating" to say the least… like the grandpa would say, that change is as good as a rest."

Hwoarang: "Nooow, you're talking some sense, that's more like it!"

Jin: "Hehehe, let's not exaggerate alright? I may have had fun today, but I must be honest, that I am actually pretty picky, when it comes to enjoy the time."

Hwoarang: "No prob, buddy! Take your time."

(Jin then is the first yawn.)

Jin: "Oh my goodness, am I worn out… the training and that beer really sucked me dry for today…"

Hwoarang: "Alright then, but I thought about still chatting with you, before we set off for sleep."

Jin: "Why not?"

(Jin wraps the blanket over his body, kicks off his shoes and lays back in his pillow, while looking up, where a window is, that let the moon shine through softly on his face. After Hwo did the same like Jin, he lays back and then starts to speak again.)

Hwoarang: "Jin… I am now curious, how did you manage to return, after the 6th tournament was considered as over and I have heard through the News Time, that you have been considered as dead?"

Jin: "Well, let me simply sum this up in a few sentences… first, I defeated Azazel, destroyed him for good and then after that, I lost complete consciousness and simply fell lifeless into the hot sand… the crumbling rocks of that ancient temple could have crushed the remaining piece of life I had in me out, if it wasn't for the sand, which protected me from the rocks… from this point on, I can't remember a thing, that happened after that and it was only a while later, when I woke up in an american laboratory, where that black ninja from the 5th tournament… if I recall it properly, his name was Raven, took care of my injuries and helped me back getting me on my feet. And right after he finished taking care of me, I caught wind of the 7th tournament… and you can pretty much imagine the rest of the story."

(Hwoarang couldn't help, but snicker at the idea of that menacing assassin taking care of his friend, even though he didn't look that trustworthy to begin with, when he first laid eyes on him.)

Hwoarang: "Hm. K then. I guess, you had it rough, because that guy looked like he constantly meant serious business."

(Jin scoffs.)

Jin: "How ironic, because that is exactly the same thing I thought, when I first met him personally. Anyway, now… and I actually don't believe it myself, that I am asking you this… but how is your master, Baek? Heard he has woken up from his coma."

Hwoarang: "Oh, him? Ohohoho, don't YOU worry about him, Mr. Kazama, 'cause he is being that same ol' ultra-cool master as usual. He hasn't changed that much and aside from the war finally being over, he obviously hasn't forgiven you yet for your actions against the resistance…"

Jin: "Not surprising… and I still don't really care, if he hates me or not, it depends on what YOU think of me and that is the most essential thing…"

(Hwoarang smirks and nods.)

Hwoarang: "How right you are… and because of that, I will keep our friendship a deep secret from my master…"

Jin: "What? Wait a minute… you really want to keep our friendship and tell nobody about me and anything related to this…?"

(Hwo smiles and turns around to face Jin on the opposite bed.)

Hwoarang: "Hey, that's what friends are for, huh? Being there for each other, no matter what the weather, so to speak."

(Then he looks serious, but in a mild way.)

Hwoarang: "Jin… do you seriously believe, that I'd ever throw something this valuable in my life away? The best rival and ally I ever had? Hell no. Kazama, not only do you have a place in my book, for the strongest rival ever coming across, but also a place in the category of 'cool guy' in there. Yes, I may have looked like I hated your fucking guts and just saw you as an obstacle and major nuisance, which could get in my way anytime, preventing me from becoming the strongest Taekwando master yet, but… with me growing older, I've become wiser and whenever we fought, there more I understood you as a person… you had problems and that was a case, that nobody could ever understand, unless you've actually experienced the same amount of pain like this yourself… which is the case with the both of us… we both lost loved ones, we became stronger, we were betrayed on our path up to the best and we both may have had different paths, but… that never meant us going against each other in a way, like we hated each other to death and either of us wanting to see the other dead at their feet, no. You have no clue right now, or maybe ever, how much I actually respect you… you have the aspects, that I myself, could NEVER achieve, like your will to keep fighting and trying everything to achieve your goals, may it be unfair or not, and most of all… the way, you can actually bear this burden with the devil gene… man, I am just surprised at how you can still be yourself, even though you have this curse on you… this is because of your will to keep going, no matter how much pain you feel! Hell, if I would have been in your body during all that time, I would have probably already committed homicide… that is how much I respect you, man… just never change… and despite your foolish decisions, I somehow felt, that this is something you never wanted, so that is why I never hated you, as I know, that it will ALL soon pay off in the end…"

(He gives Jin a thumb up and he does it in return, while both smile at each other and both turn to their sides again to go to sleep.)

Jin: "How could I have been so stupid…? Just… why?"

Hwoarang: "Don't sweat it, buddy. We all make dumb mistakes sometimes and honestly, I am no different than you… let us simply call that incident a day and then we are all good."

Jin: "Fine… anyway, before we go to sleep, I have to mention, that the captain told a few minutes ago, that we will arrive in China in about 2 days, if not less, because it depends on the weather and the amount of luck we have with the police… and we don't want to get caught, right?"

Hwoarang: "Obviously not."

(But then Hwo yawns loudly and relaxes his body, ready to go to sleep.)

Hwoarang: "Whatever, I am gonna sleep now, good night, Jin."

(Jin closes his eyes, turns back around on his bed and yawns as well.)

Jin: "Night."

(Then both brave warriors fall into a deep slumber…)

(The next following two days, nothing exciting happens… the usual routine, like on a luxurious trip through the azure-blue sea… Jin still found it kind of funny, that he, out of all the people that the world still looks for, is relaxing on a motorboat with anything that a comfortable ship needs, but he quickly brushed that off, as he knew, just as much as his korean friend, that he deserved this, for being put through all this emotional and stressful time, that he had to go through in the past four years… and when the two days passed by, Jin and Hwo were woken up by one of the men…)

Seaman: "Jin Kazama! We have arrived in China!"

(When Jin and Hwo heard the news, their eyes shot wide open and both immediately jump out of their beds, only to then make the Seaman wide his own eyes, when he realizes that… Jin and Hwo are naked to the skin, not even with any pants on. He quickly turns around and then begs the both fighters.)

Seaman: "Could you please have some manners and put some clothes on?! This is not the setting for a porn!"

(Hwoarang looks down at himself and then realizes in an awkwardly comical way, that he really was naked and so was Jin… both then comically turn their heads to look at each other and Jin is the first to turn bemused.)

Jin: "Did we… drink too much?"

Hwoarang: "It pretty much appears so… I never sleep naked."

(Both then awkwardly turn bemused and then run to the changing room and quickly put their casual clothing back on and run then outside to check out, if the Seaman was right… and he was… a few meters away from them, was the little chinese village of Shenghan, that looked pretty much empty and the only building, that still seems to be in charge, was the little hut of the owner of the dock. Jin and Hwoarang were impressed at the sight of the village, as it had the specific style of the nature put into it, as the nature literally overgrew the buildings. Nonetheless, the pure sight made Hwo whistle in amazement. The owner is right now talking with the captain in a friendly way and when the man returned, he tells Jin and Hwoarang to take their suitcases and get on the back of the vehicle, that constantly transports rice to one village to another. Jin bows friendly before the friend of the captain and he does the same in return, before then letting the two fighters get inside the truck. Before they entered it, the captain gave Jin a fake passport, in case of someone asking for his. Hwoarang was mystified, because he has no idea how to hide under all this material.)

Hwoarang: "What shall we do, Jin? It's obvious, that when a police officer comes in here to check on the stuff that this truck transports and finds you under all these sacks, we will be in trouble for sure. Any suggestions?"

(Jin looks around the truck and then two empty sacks fall under his gaze. He then has an idea. He goes over, puts his suitcase in the sack and then lays down in-between all the other sacks and gets into his sack, making Hwoarang wide his eyes in surprise.)

Hwoarang: "Ahhh, neat one. Let's see if I fit in one too."

(He then takes the same empty sack that Jin looked at before and throws his suitcase inside and then gets into it and lays down next to Jin. The driver of the truck waves over to signalize they had to go… the captain jumps in, prepares the passports, so that whenever the police shall ask for something, they can prevent them from looking inside the truck for their hidden contents, that are Jin and Hwoarang. Then they all drove off, heading for Xiaoyu's home. The journey took a while, because they had to keep avoiding the Customs Service and instead they took longer way around them, which helped, but this made the hidden fighters grow crosser and crosser, because the truck kept shaking back and forth, caused by the poor condition of the roads… at last, when they reached the next-near town, they simply drive through like a usual truck and they had to stop at a small station to ask, where they can find the home of Ling Xiaoyu… and one of them knew, where her residence was… it didn't take long, until they reached a house, that is abroad of the chinese town, but unfortunately, they were forced to stop, as two police-cars were waiting at the exit of the chinese town… The drivers grew nervous and one of the police-men was looking very strictly inside and asks for their passports.)

Policeman #1: "Halt! You can only leave the city, if you show us first, your passports and your contents!"

(The captain, his was name was, Yuzuko, now decided to stay calm and show him the passports and the important papers, and the policemen take a clear look at them.)

Yuzuko: "We only are farmers from Yakushima and we want to deliver the rice to the next town. We are coming in the order of the major of Yakushima."

(After the two men took a proper look at the documents, they nodded and gave the papers back to the driver and japanese captain. But as strict as the guards are, one of them even brought himself to get into the truck to check out the sacks… Hwoarang and Jin started to sweat nervously, fearing to be spotted by the men, but luckily for them, the guard stopped checking out the contents of the sacks after the fourth bag and then left the truck, which made the two friends sigh loudly in relief… the policeman comes out and gives the other one a thumb up, opening the gate for the drivers.)

Policeman #2: "All clear. You can keep on driving now."

(The driver and the captain sigh in contentment and then drive off to head for the next town… but after they reached a junction, they saw that one road leads to a lonely house with a garden and the other leads to the town. When Yuzuko read through the map, he realizes, that this is the house they and the both young fighters were looking for the whole. Xiaoyu's home. Obviously, they took the road, that leads to the young girl's house and they stopped right before the gate. Yuzuko smiles satasfied and then gets out of the cockpit and goes inside the truck to tell Jin and Hwoarang, that they arrived. He helps them getting out, by throwing the sacks aside and helps them getting out of the empty sacks. Jin now gulped nervously.)

Jin: "Now it's serious… after four long years… I get to see her face again… let's go."

(Hwoarang smirks and then both jump out of the truck to open the gate and enter all by themselves… once they got near the house, they were astonished at how clean everything is. It felt almost like home. Jin was looking around the house from outside and doesn't find Xiaoyu… instead, he finds Panda, Xiaoyu's pet bodyguard. The japanese Karate master grew nervous, as he had bad experiences with animals like that. He slowly gets closer to the chinese bear from behind, making her slowly turn around.)

Jin: "Hello Panda… don't freak out… it's me, Jin… do you remember me?"

(Then he hears an angry growling coming from the bear, which made Jin instinctively step back in defense and once Panda has fully turned around to reveal an angry expression, she immediately jumps on Jin, giving him no time to react properly, and she looks down at the young Kazama in dismay and pure anger while still growling, but then… she makes peaceful noises, stops growling instead and starts lick Jin in a happy dog-like way in the face, making him look comically surprised and he defends himself from all the licking, but fails and instead starts to stroke Panda's head, while laughing at this licking tickled him.)

Jin: "OK! OK! Panda, stop it! Get off me! This tickles!"

(Hwoarang runs to the place, where Jin was calling for help and once he sees Xiao's pet starting to lick the hell out of his best friend, he couldn't help but laugh.)

Hwoarang: "It appears like Panda still likes you! And that should be a good sign!"

(Jin becomes annoyed and then becomes angry at Hwo.)

Jin: "Hey, don't simply just stay there! Help me!"

?: "Panda! How many times do I have to tell you?! Stop attacking people like this!"

(Jin and Hwoarang became shocked at the female voice and when they looked behind the bear, there stood no other than Xiaoyu. She looked pretty angry and bad-mooded, even though this was so unlike her, as she was actually a girl, that only rarely became this easily pissed off. Her pig-tails were gone and her hair has gotten a lot longer since the sixth tournament and they were also curled, but nonetheless, she looked like a wreck and Jin knows why… once Panda sadly gets off Jin, by Xiaoyu also pulling her away and apologizing like crazy, which was also unlike her, she fell back in pure shock after seeing who she helped out of her pet's grip… she start to pant like crazy and she crawls backwards against a chair and starts to shake as tears start to form in her eyes… Jin became concerned and so he slowly stood up and carefully gets closer step-by-step to his old friend.)

Jin: "Xiao… Xiao, don't be scared, it's really me! You have no idea… how happy I am to see you again, after all these years… to see you alive and well…"

(Xiaoyu was still speechless and still shook, as the tears start to run down her cheeks, but when she took a closer look at the man, she realized, she wasn't hallucinating. To her, there was no doubt about it anymore… Jin was really there, right before her own eyes… all these years… weren't in vain…)

Xiaoyu: "J-Jin… i-is it… really you…?"

(Jin felt his heart sink at this point, as he doubted, that she really missed him and this caused him to shed two big tears, and he spoke in a weak tone…)

Jin: "Y-Yes… a-and you're not imagining things… I am really there…"

(When she heard Jin's voice properly this time… she started to sob really loud and rams the young Kazama on the ground, before letting herself fall on him and hugging him tightly, while sobbing like wild on his chest and nuzzling him for dear life and never wanting to let go. This made Jin's heart rise up again in pure happiness and relief and so he hugs her tightly himself, while tears run down his face in relief.)

Xiaoyu: "JIN! YOU'RE REALLY HERE! I AM NOT CRAZY, YOU'RE ACTUALLY HERE!"

Jin: "Yes, I am… I would never lie to someone, especially you… I missed you, Xiao…"

(The fact, that Jin calls her, by her nickname, made her all the more happy and so she even nuzzled against his cheek, making him chuckle. Hwoarang couldn't help, but grin at this scene… he felt a satisfactory, he has never felt before and this made him also happy. Xiaoyu looks at the korean biker and smiles widely at him, while tears still flood down her cheeks.)

Xiaoyu: "Thank you, Hwo… thank you so much for bringing Jin back to me… I don't know how I can repay you for this…"

(Hwoarang gives her a wink and a thumb up, but he chuckles.)

Hwoarang: "Actually, I didn't bring him here… Jin came here at his own will."

Xiaoyu: "What?!"

Hwoarang: "I am not shitting you. Jin himself told me, that he missed you a lot and not only because of the fact, that he felt terrible for rejecting you like you were only air, but also because he missed the good times he had with you, when you two were in high school. I was surprised myself, but hey. He said it, it came out of his mouth."

(Xiaoyu really was surprised. She always thought, that Jin had problems with confessing his true feelings, not that this bothered her, she was just astonished about that message. Jin then strokes her eyes to wipe her tears away and he strokes her black hair… and surprisingly to her, he enjoyed it, playing with her hair.)

Jin: "Ahhh, your hair sure got more length and is now curly… you put some style there and I like that… and oh god, your hair is soft…"

(Xiaoyu giggles and laughs at the fact, that Jin doesn't look any different.)

Xiaoyu: "Look at yourself, you still have that hairstyle. Ever thought of changing it once?"

Jin: "Not really, I don't style myself up too much, you know me. I only use some gel and some hairspray, comb it all down like these bangs and then there you have it, not much to say… it's not rocket-science."

(Xiaoyu smiles softly and let her best friend touch her hair, as she enjoyed his touch a lot… her sadness was like washed away within Jin's touch. Then all four friends went inside to have a conversation. Xiaoyu prepared some tea and brought it to the table. She gave Jin and Hwo some and she gave Panda some fresh leaves for her to eat. She then sits down between her friends and smiles in her usual kiddy way, while Hwoarang then tells her, how they managed to get to her, without being detected by the police. And after Hwoarang told her the story of Jin saving an entire town from a rampaging Kuma, she was really happy for the fact, that Jin still IS a good person, as this was the final proof for her. The korean biker just can't help, but smirk at Jin's embarrassment, as he told the chinese girl, how much of a hero the Kazama was.)

Hwoarang: "And let me tell… Jin even saved me from him, two times. Never expected him to be THAT kind really. Right Jin?"

(Jin sighed annoyed, after he folded his arms and he rolled his eyes.)

Jin: "Oh, shut up, Hwo."

(But Xiaoyu was giggling happily like a little girl, as he was huggling Jin like crazy. But then Panda starts to speak, as she facepalmed.)

Panda: "(I still can't believe it… Kuma seriously attacked you two like a deranged psychopath? Oh goodness… Is there any reason, why I can't stand him? And he wants me to like him, yeah right.)"

Hwoarang: "Well, at least we survived and pummeled this stupid furball into a bloody pulp… and if you want, you can beat some sense into him the next time we encounter him, if you want."

Panda: "(You bet I will. Kuma has gone way too far this time. If you ask me, he deserved it to be put into the wild again, because that's where a bear belongs to and not to some old man, that raised him in a way, so that he can become a complete moron.)"

Hwoarang: "Do as you please, I won't hold you back."

Xiaoyu: "I can't believe, that Jin actually saved an entire town! I was right, I was right, I was right. You were a good person all along!"

(Jin rolls his eyes again and chuckles.)

Jin: "Yes, you were right. You are the winner. Hehehe…"

(But then Jin looks down and his happy look turns into a cold and serious one.)

Jin: "But now… enough with the silly stuff, let us talk about serious business… Xiao, you probably are still curious about why I left the high school, while I was at my senior year… well, let me answer these questions of yours beforehand…"

(Jin told Xiaoyu the whole story about the family conflict of the Mishimas, how his devil gene got a little control of him in the sixth tournament and how the final battle between himself and the cursed Kazumi went and what resulted from it… Xiaoyu listened to every single word and the more information and details she got from Jin, the more she was starting to feel really sorry for her best friend… after Jin told her during the fourth tournament, that she shall watch for herself for the dangers, that waited for her up ahead about the occuring Mishima conflict, she now understood, why Jin rejected her for so long… everything was a warning… she now felt guilty for blaming Jin for everything, as she secretly did during the sixth tournament, when he began the war… and when Jin finished with his mother leaving him in a loving way, her heart broke in two pieces… the emotional pain for her became unbearable. She now understood everything, the pieces were coming together… she then starts to sob bitterly again, as she leaned her against Jin's shoulder and starts to cry.)

Xiaoyu: "Jin… I am so sorry… I didn't know… that you had to suffer this much, for the sake of all of us… if only I was there, I could have suffered with you… maybe it would have turned out a lot better for you…"

(Jin looks sad and strokes her back and leans his head against hers to calm her down. Hwoarang also hit it, even though he knew it beforehand. But then, he decided to cheer Xiao up with a positive message.)

Hwoarang: "But… the good news, is that Jin himself, has decided to redeem himself from all the terrible things he has done in the past two years!"

(When she heard that, she looked at Hwoarang, wiping her tears away in the process and she starts to look hopeful again with a thin smile.)

Xiaoyu: "R-Really…? D-Did he really say that…?"

(Hwoarang folds his arms and nods, while smirking at the same time.)

Hwoarang: "Yes, I am serious."

Xiaoyu: "B-But… how does he intend to do that?"

Hwoarang: "Well, it's real easy. All he needs to do, is to do the job, that heroes always take, just not in a stereotypical way, like you probably already imagine… like saving the world maybe? But he won't do it alone… and we both know, that Jin isn't really the type of guy, that supports teamwork, but guess what… he has decided to form a team, that included me and you, Xiao. That's right, he wants us both to support him on his journey to become a better human."

(Xiaoyu's eyes wide in shock, but in a positive way, as she sees, that Hwoarang wasn't lying about Jin's decision… so she starts to slightly smile again.)

Hwoarang: "And so… will you help us?"

(This question made the heart of the chinese girl pop in happiness. She hugs Jin tightly and nuzzles him like crazy.)

Xiaoyu: "Of course! Why not? If it helps Jin, I am all with you two!"

Panda: "(And what about me?)"

Hwoarang: "You can also join, every kind of help is welcome."

Xiaoyu: "Yay!"

(Jin nods, while not having changed his serious look.)

Jin: "So this makes us four then… but we're still not complete."

(Hwoarang looks at his friend in a questionable way and then asks.)

Hwoarang: "What? Why not? Everyone we know is together with us, what can possibly go wrong? Are you afraid of us accidently exposing you in public?"

(Jin shakes his head.)

Jin: "No, I won't ever think that about you three, but there is still a problem… we need another member… keep in mind, that italian exorcist may have succeeded in sealing the devil gene away in my body, preventing it from taking control of any part of my consciousness in any amount, but the risk, that it will get triggered again, is not really low, it can happen anytime soon and because of this, I thought about adding another member, that shall take care of me, if I should ever lose control again, into the team."

Xiaoyu: "And who do you think shall help us? I don't know anyone, that is an exorcist and I never met that man, you were talking about just now."

Jin: "It must be another Kazama."

Hwoarang: "Your mother?"

Jin: "That could work, but there is a problem with this… I don't know where she currently is, and as long as I don't, that will never do, so… there is only one person that comes to my mind, that could help me."

(When Jin mentioned "one person", Hwoarang started to panic a bit and he grew nervous all of a sudden.)

Hwoarang: "Wha-! No… no, no, no, no, no! You don't mean HER do you?!"

(Jin nods and then takes out his walkie-talkie, the one that Yuzuko gave him, before they left the boat. He wasn't allowed to use the phone, as this will only cause the police to detect him through the communication between himself and the captain.)

Jin: "Captain Yuzuko, I need your help again."

Yuzuko: "What is the matter, my boy?"

(Jin sighs and scratches the back of his head.)

Jin: "Well, I have one important request, it's really essential to me and the team, so listen real closely… but first, get me and my friends to Osaka. I will explain everything on the way there.)

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. An Encounter With A Vigilante (Part 1)

**Chapter 5: An Encounter With A Vigilante… With Pain! (Part 1)**

(A man gets punched in the face and gets pinned against the stoned path of the sidewalk. The man, who seemed to look like a thief, as he had a leathery wallet in his hands, groans in pain, but then yells in agony, as someone starts to rub its foot against his chest with brutal force and when the man looked properly at who just attacked him, his eyes wide in pure fear, as he realized, he knew that person.)

Thief: "No! No! No! Have mercy! Let me go, I beg of you!"

?: "Shall I teach you some manners at how to treat an old lady properly?! Because nobody simply slaps a granny in the face and then simply runs off with her wallet, while she is unable to get back up again!"

(The person, who yells at the man, turns out to be a school-girl with short dark-brunette hair and pale skin… it was Asuka Kazama, or as many people call her in town, 'The Kazama-Vigilante'. She is well-known in Osaka for being the toughest girl at her school and protector of the city. She is always willing to bring peace to the town and isn't even afraid of using her fists, when the situation calls for her it. Her brutal and even absurd way of solving problems between people, especially gangs, that made Osaka unsafe, made every criminal fear her, even the heads of the gangs were afraid of Asuka's lack of mercy for injustice. She may appear real threatening, but in reality, especially when she is outside of her free work as vigilante, she is a really nice, hard-working and cheerful girl, that anyone can't simply despise… but today, the high-school girl had a really bad day, which explained her bad mood and her even more aggressive than usual behavior towards the thief.)

?: "P-P-Please let me leave! I-I-I swear I won't do it again! Here!"

(He throws the little object back up to Asuka, she catches it, but still won't let him go. Instead, she pressed her foot harder against the man's chest, making him scream louder in pain. Only then, her face becomes red out of anger.)

Asuka: "And one more thing! Dare to stare at my chest again and I swear, I'm gonna turn every single one of your bones to dust! DID I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

(The man nods frantically, but then stops screaming, as Asuka then calms down, takes away her foot and simply goes away to bring the woman's wallet back, while the criminal runs away, fearing for his life. The girl sighs in a depressed way and hands the valuable object over the woman. Her name was Ryofu Kawasaki. She is the neighbor and good friend of Asuka's family. They often met at several friendly meetings and has been friends with the Kazamas for nearly thirty years. She even was the sensei of Asuka's father, before he invented the more advanced version of Kazama Style Martial Arts at a young age in his clan and he met Asuka's mother and married her. But due to the financial crisis of the family, they had to move away to Osaka and build a dojo there, that was built right after Asuka's birth, to get back into business… after Ms. Kawasaki's husband died, she also had to move to the same place, where the Kazama family was currently living, which surprised Asuka's father in a pleased way and now, ever since they became neighbors, everything became just like the old days to Mr. Kazama and his family…)

Asuka: "Here Ms. Kawasaki. I got it back for ya."

(The lady smiles in a polite way and bows towards the young Kazama. But then she looked at the school-girl in a concerned way.)

Ms. Kawasaki: "Oh, that is awfully nice of you, my dear, thank you. And excuse my question, but… what is wrong, my young one? Why so aggressive today? That is not the way you usually behave, I can tell."

(Asuka sighs and let her hand run through her hair in a shy way.)

Asuka: "Well… to tell you the truth, today is one of those days, at least for me, which I thought was the worst day of all."

Ms. Kawasaki: "What happened?"

(Then Asuka's voice raises with a hint of anger behind it and after every passing complaint, she became more and more frustrated about her bad day.)

Asuka: "The first thing, that could go wrong today, is me being late again and that is only the beginning! Oh yes, hell, how about me also getting involved in an accident with my bike?! Not enough? Guess something else! My bike is, now thanks to that horrid crash with another biker, nothing more than a pile of useless chunk-metal! And the worst thing about this is, is that I have no spent money left to buy a new one, so I won't be able to ride around for months and you know how much I love to do trips with my bicycle! And that is not the worst part of the day, that frustrated the hell out of me! I had to get to school by the train and we both know, that getting anywhere with a train in JAPAN, is nothing more than a tedious shitfest, as they are never offering enough space to even stand properly in them! And because of this, I arrived in school, ONE FULL HOUR too late! But it's not the worst, oh no! Because of my late arrival, I COMPLETELY MISSED ONE OF THE FREAKING LITTLE TESTS, THAT WERE PLANNED FOR TODAY TO BE HELD IN MY CLASS! Of course, the were three more, and I passed them with good grades, but still, you know, that I am a hard-working girl and I hate it to fail, because it makes me feel like an ass, like I learned for nothing!"

(Asuka then pants in exhaustion from her angry rant and sits down on the bench near the gate, that leads to her house and looks down.)

Asuka: "This one of those days, where I just feel like letting myself sink in the mud without calling for any support…"

(Ms. Kawasaki then approaches her, puts her hand softly on her shoulder and speaks in an encouraging voice.)

Ms. Kawasaki: "Do not worry, Asuka. We all get our bad days once in a while, it's not uncommon. It will get better soon, trust me… and to make that possible…"

(She then starts searching inside her handbag for something… until she then takes out a piece of paper and a little object, that looked like a credit card, but was actually a code to something… the elderly then handed the two pieces of paper over to Asuka, who then nearly fell of the edge in surprise, at what was written or printed on the papers.)

Asuka: "A scholarship for a driver-license… for motorcycles? And an exclusive test-hour for free?"

(Ms. Kawasaki smiled and bows.)

Ms. Kawasaki: "Oh, before you ask, yes, this was actually supposed to be for your birthday a whole month ago, but sadly, I couldn't get this for you earlier, since I had to leave the country to meet up with a good friend of mine to a funeral of one of his recently deceased best friends and so I totally forgot about that, but it doesn't matter… because you have it now!"

(Asuka then looked at her in a confused way.)

Asuka: "But why, out of all things you could have chosen instead, did you choose a driver-license for motorcycles for me? Care to explain?"

Ms. Kawasaki: "Well, there is not really much to say, because your parents and I had a talk about this. The reason for this, was because we wanted to give you an alternative for a second public vehicle aside from your bike, to make sure, that if when it should happen, that your bicycle shall get scrapped in any way, may it be by accident, or because your bike is getting too old and rusty, you will be able to use a motorcycle instead, after you finished this. And this wasn't cheap, this card cost over 101.000,0000 Yen."

(Asuka was speechless… never would she dream, that one day, she will be able to ride a motorcycle instead of her beloved bike… the thought of her driving around town, faster than ever before, made her feel goosebumps at the finest. It made her sad, that her bike shall be later replaced by a much faster vehicle, but she knew, that it was time for a change for once, so she accepted it happily… she starts to smile again and then hugs her old friend.)

Asuka: "Thank you, Ms. Kawasaki… I really appreciate this gift."

(The old lady laughed and taps her shoulder encouragingly.)

Ms. Kawasaki: "Oh, it was my pleasure saving this for you, my dear. I hope you enjoy this gift and I wish you the best of luck of achieving your driver-license."

(With that, she left and went back into her house next to Asuka's house. The school-girl waved at her, before then putting on her headphones, turning on her phone to listen to some tunes and entering her house. She was alone. Her parents had to leave for a whole week, because they had an organized meeting with a company, that shall modernize their dojo a bit, so that it appeals to more students. The young Kazama went upstairs to her room, let herself fall on the bed and listens to music, before dozing away for a little snooze, as all the school days, have become tiring…)

(Meanwhile with Jin and Co… Jin, Xiaoyu and Panda are back on Yuzuko's boat, which is on its way to bring to them to Osaka, so that they can meet up with a specific person… unfortunately, before they all set off, Hwoarang received an important call from his master, that something terrible has happened to their dojo, so they had to leave the korean biker in South Korea through the boat, before then making their way to the japanese city again… Jin is right now sitting near the pool, feeling somewhat sad, that his best friend had to leave him and Xiaoyu was with him, who looked just as glum as he did…)

Jin: "I hope everything goes well for Hwo…"

Xiaoyu: "I hope so too, Jin… I hope so too… and about that other Kazama… do you really believe, that she will listen to us? After all, I heard, that she is one aggressive fighter and won't fear to go all out on anyone, who goes against the rules."

Jin: "I am not so sure about that, but… we have no choice, we have to try it. Better being assured for not losing control again, than nothing."

(Xiaoyu then becomes really concerned, as she then wraps her arms around Jin's muscular arm and clings onto him in fear.)

Xiaoyu: "And what if something goes wrong and she calls the police? I don't want to land in prison!"

(Jin then strokes her back to calm her down as best as he could, but he could sense, that it was only helping a little bit, considering the fact, that they are heading for an entire city, where they can get spotted anytime soon.)

Jin: "I feel you, Xiao… but I promise you, we won't get captured. I swear that by my word..."

(Even though he said, he still had doubts, but he had to remain strong as he did all this time up to this point for his whole life. Then, as he then stood up and realized, that it was actually time for a snooze, until they arrive, Xiaoyu stops him, by grabbing his wrist making him turn around to see, that the chinese girl was looking at him with a pleading look written on her face.)

Xiaoyu: "Jin… I hope you know what you're doing…"

(Jin looks down and didn't change his facial expression, but deep down, he still was worried for her safety, even though he decided himself, that she shall go with him and this made his heart crack, but he knew, if he would send her back now, this would be beyond rude, so he allows her to stay… he nods and then goes with her to their beds. Jin sat down on his right bed and Xiao sat down next to him, while Panda decides to sleep next to her good friend's bed. The Kazama wanted to sleep, but before he could do it, Xiaoyu asks him again.)

Xiaoyu: "Oh, and before I forget it… if it should happen, that shall I climb over to your bed, because of loneliness, please don't push me away… I already miss my home and my grandfather…"

(The pleading tone in Xiao's voice made Jin nod and stroke the back of her head. He then speaks in a soft tune in her ear.)

Jin: "I won't do that, I promise. I pushed you aside for too long already and this has to change from now on…"

(She hugs Jin and he does the same in return, before then letting her climb on her bed. The Japanese then mutters to himself, after laying down on his soft pillow.)

Jin: "Mother… I pray… I pray for a safe journey… be my guide… and bring me back to the path of light…"

(Then, he turns off the light and turns in the right position to sleep. Then he quickly announces something to Xiaoyu and Panda.)

Jin: "I have to mention, before we sleep… Yuzuko told me, that we will arrive in Osaka in a few hours and he will wake us up as soon as we arrive. And once we are there, there is no going back, until we finished the job. And if it should, that we should get detected, our best option is to run back to the boat as quickly as possible and then leave without anyone else noticing it, since we will knock them out, after they saw us."

Xiaoyu: "Now that you mention, for how long do you think will we stay there?"

Jin: "I hope not for long… it has to be done as quietly and quickly as possible… and we have to do it, while it's still night there. If the dawn comes, the chances become higher, that we get spotted, so in the protecting darkness, we should be able to do it faster and more safely, so brace yourself for this."

Xiaoyu: "And now I have to question something… do you know where this girl lives?"

Jin: "Yes, I do. Believe it or not, during the sixth tournament, I was the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu and the host of the tournament, so that meant for me, that I had access to every single information about any fighter that competed in the tournament, so naturally, it was easy for me to guess her location."

Xiaoyu: "Figures. And I have something else in mind… what shall we do, when a guard just happens to come across the street and looks at us in a suspicious way, as he believes we are some kind of dirty burglars?"

(That made Jin surprised, as he realized, that even at night, the police can still be active, so he slightly became nervous.)

Jin: "Ummmmm… well… I…"

Xiaoyu: "If you don't have an answer…"

(Then she began to smile in a mischievous way.)

Xiaoyu: "Then let me tell you the solution to that problem… we disguise ourselves!"

Jin: "What? Are you serious?"

Xiaoyu: "Yup, I am not trying to be funny here this time, we will do this!"

Jin: "But… excuse my question, but how are we supposed to do that, without looking like total buffoons? And my clothing is easily recognizable, since I fought with them in the tournaments, especially the flame trousers."

Xiaoyu: "Have you noticed, that my suitcase was the heaviest of all?"

Jin: "Now that I think about it… you're right. But… why was it heavy? Did you take stones with you?"

(Xiaoyu laughs and slaps her knee.)

Xiaoyu: "No, Jin! To make you understand it… come with me to the bathroom. I will show you

something, that will blow your mind, trust me."

(Jin was starting to look puzzled, but despite that fact, he follows Xiao's orders and follows her to

the bathroom, while she takes her suitcase and drags it into the bathroom. Once both arrived

there, Xiaoyu locks the door shut and then opens her suitcase to reveal a bundle of many pieces

of clothing and a big box full with hair-gel, that looked very familiar to the young Kazama.)

Jin: "Ummmmm… and what is this all about? Hair-gel? And various training-clothes? Are you trying to tell me, that you trained in different kinds of martial arts, in hopes of becoming better?"

(Xiaoyu shakes her head and then pouts playfully.)

Xiaoyu: "Pervert! Turn around! I want to prepare myself for later! Turn around!"

(Jin sighs, rolls his eyes and does so.)

Jin: "OK… what is this about, explain yourself will you? I am not in the mood for your kiddy games, Xiao…"

Xiaoyu: "Just wait a second! I will show you, what I meant before."

(Jin waits and waits, and for him, it felt like an eternity. The normally patient Kazama slightly grew impatient.)

Jin: "When are you done? I have to pee soon, will you please hurry-!"

(When Jin turned around, he couldn't believe his own eyes… before him, stood his good friend… dressed and styled EXACTLY like him. She also drew the mark of the Devil on her left arm, on the exact same spot. Normally, Jin would never get impressed that easily, from what he has seen so far in his life, but this… surpassed any expectation he had for his friend.)

Jin: "…up. What the hell is this?! Y-You… except for you wearing a tank-top, you look like me! The flaming Karate pants, the gauntlets over my wrists and feet, the hair, the Devil's mark, it's flawless! How did you manage to do this?!"

(Xiaoyu smirks and then makes Jin's Karate stance, forcing him to see, that she even can imitate his moves… Jin stands now next to his chinese friend and both then kick and punch either left or right repeatedly with rhythm… and after a bit, Jin had to realize, that Xiao has become a really talented copycat.)

Jin: "I have got to say this… you've just impressed me… I'm serious, nothing surprises me anymore, but THIS… I would have never expected you to become a master in disguising and imitating."

(The Chinese girl rubs her index finger under her nose and grins widely.)

Xiaoyu: "Oh Jin, Jin, Jin… you think this is mind-blowing? Then wait until you see, who I can imitate aside from you! Turn around again!"

(Jin does so, and this time had to wait longer, because the next person his friend wants to imitate, took a little bit longer in preparation… and when Xiaoyu gives the sign through a little whistle, Jin turns around and the surprise hits him again. Xiaoyu... was imitating his father, Kazuya. The girl was starting to laugh real bad at this point, as she had an idea.)

Xiaoyu: "Hey Jin, look at me now, I am Kazuya! Just think about this! If he should dare to form another threat against you, I will disguise myself as him and will confuse the entire threat, until they will simply break down in nothing more than pure disorientation! This will be so much fun playing with them, trust me! I can already imagine their reactions!"

(Jin thinks about it for a bit, but then shakes his head, as he doesn't want to think about the Mishimas that much at the moment.)

Jin: "Forget it. Good idea, but not suitable for the current situation… now let us simply focus on the task. And before that… I must give you my compliments for you being able to disguise yourself THIS accurately like the persons you're trying to imitate. Kudos for that."

(Xiaoyu blushes and scratches the back of her head in shyness, before then wetting her hair, so that she can form her pig-tails again.)

Xiaoyu: "Thank you, Jin… and trust me. You have my word, that you won't regret having me on board with you. And I won't stand in your way, if the situation calls for it."

(Jin chuckles.)

Jin: "Oh Xiao… you haven't changed one bit… it's really comforting to still see you being the same likable and positive girl as usual…"

(Xiaoyu smiles a cute smile and bows.)

Xiaoyu: "And you Jin are still the same lovable and sympathetic guy like before… I always knew, that inside your heart, you were still the same person… I always had that feeling and as it turns out… I was right."

Jin: "Of course you were… all along."

(Then he stands up from the edge of the bath-tub yawning.)

Jin: "Now… I think it's best, if we go to sleep now… we will need our strength for the night we arrive in Osaka."

(The Chinese then stretches herself, before yawning herself loudly.)

Xiaoyu: "You're right… I haven't slept properly for a whole week… Grandpa's health state was critical this week, so I had to join the nurses and give full support as much as possible… but sleeping in your presence is probably like putting me in a heavenly peaceful sleep."

Jin: "Well, Wang isn't young anymore. He is over 100 years old… even I'm baffled at how long he was able live up to this point. But I am betting he had a happy and fulfilled life and that he lived healthy…"

Xiaoyu: "Oh, THAT is undeniable. I never saw him eating anything unhealthy, smoking or doing drugs or anything, he was clean. Anyway… let's get to sleep now, seriously. I need my sleep."

(Jin then opens the door, about to leave, but then he turns his head around a bit to face his best friend with a content smile and she gladly returned it.)

Jin: "Well then… good night, Xiao."

Xiaoyu: "Good night, Jin. Sweet dreams!"

(Both then return to their cabin and immediately once they laid down on their beds, they fell asleep. A few hours later, they were woken up by one of the captain's people and both dressed themselves good enough, so that nobody would come to the idea, that it was Jin with a henchman or anything. But on the way out of the ship, Jin shows her a document, that he took with him. In it, there were all the informations about any fighter, who took part in all the previous tournaments. Before Jin fought against the other two Mishimas, he broke into the database of the Mishima Zaibatsu and copied all the necessary data, so that he can keep them, for the time, they might become useful. He shows the female Chinese and her pet, who they are looking for exactly. The Kazama searches through the first pages and then reaches the 'A' section… in which he stopped at a female Asian, who had short dark-brunette hair, wore a bright blue jumpsuit, which only covered her upper body until her thighs, an azure-blue crop-top, blue boots and gloves that looked like shields to protect both of her entire wrists, including her elbow.)

Jin: "The person, we are looking for is… Asuka Kazama. The first time, she appeared in one of the Iron Fist tournaments, was in the fifth. Her main motivation for joining was pure vengeance, but it was unknown on WHO she wanted to have revenge. However her background for this motivation was, that her dojo in Osaka, has been demolished by one of the competitors, who also took part in the same tournament."

(Jin sighs in depression.)

Jin: "Just thinking about all these foul and wrong motivations just makes me sad on the inside… and the worst thing about this is… the information also tell me, that she is the daughter of the brother of my mother, which leads to the conclusion, that… she is my cousin… meaning, that she must have heard of me taking over the Zaibatsu and declaring war against the whole world and since her data indicate, that she acts nothing like my mother… I am pretty sure, this will be a tough task for me to pull off… not only as a task in general, but also because I have to harm someone of my own blood, if she should find out about my plans…"

(That fact made Xiaoyu sad, as she knows, that Jin hates to harm people of his own kind in general, so this might become really personal for him… and to comfort him, she strokes his arm and cuddles him a little.)

Xiaoyu: "Well, sadly there isn't much we can do about it… we simply have to hope for the best…"

(He then becomes serious again.)

Jin: "Anyway, her home is about at the outsides of Osaka, but not so far off… to get there, we would need at about… 15 minutes, maybe longer."

Xiaoyu: "Alright then! Then all I can say about this is… let us go and find her!"

(Jin then takes out a little radar, that the captain gave him to make the search for Asuka easier. He typed the information of her location and let the radar look for the exact spot… until it starts to beep, indicating, it is on the search for it, during their walk.)

Jin: "Now that the radar has picked up the location, it's time to look through the city. But we have to hurry. In a few hours, the sun will rise at any moment, and in the safety of the dark, it's easier to get through the entire town without getting noticed by anyone, so let us hurry."

Xiaoyu: "What shall Panda do?"

Jin: "She better shouldn't come. Her paws just would make too much noise, while we stealth us our way through Osaka and think about it… what if we are entering Asuka's house and we step inside and we realize that the floor is fully wooden? Her paws will make the wood crack for sure, so that's why… she better should stay here and protect the men on the ship. From what I've heard, is that whenever it's night, it shall happen once in a while, that kippers, tankers or any other known ship can get stolen by pirates, so that's why, to not make any risks, she shall stay here and guard on for the night."

(She looks at Panda, after putting on her scarf and then nods at her.)

Xiaoyu: "You heard him, Panda. Now go and do as he told you. I count on you."

(Panda makes a noise, that indicated, she was ready for the job and so she turns around and stops near the little bridge, that leads back inside the ship. Jin and Xiaoyu then make their way, through the misty night… while they are keep walking down the streets, every now and then, they might get to see police cars driving pass them, which made the two friends sweat nervously… but they knew, they had to go on. There was no way back from here on out. Xiaoyu was freezing a bit, even though she was wearing warm clothes and so she leans against Jin, which made him worry about her a little and so he wraps her under his coat and both keep walking down… the streets… it took a while for them to stealth through the entire town without becoming too distinctive to the police or any other kind of people, that still works after midnight… but soon, they reached the house. Jin looked at his radar and sees, it was beeping really fast, which meant… the house and dojo of his cousin, was right before him.)

Jin: "We're here."

(Xiaoyu gulped nervously, as the two slowly approached the door.)

Xiaoyu: "Now… what shall we do? How shall we get here out of the house?"

Jin: "I thought about sneaking inside as quietly as possible and…"

(He takes out a little syringe with a liquid inside, shocking Xiaoyu and making her mad, as she hates using chemical weapons like this.)

Jin: "…let this liquid over here slide inside the side of her throat, so that she remains in the sleeping state, making sure that no one will hear her scream, when she should do it, when she realizes, she is getting taken away."

Xiaoyu: "Jin, have you gone insane?! No way in hell, will I EVER try to inject this stuff into someone! Who knows if this is poison and we might kill her, while she stills sleeps?! Put this thing away and let us do something different!"

(Jin sighs in an annoyed way and puts this secret weapon away back inside his pocket.)

Jin: "Xiaoyu, do you have a better idea?"

Xiaoyu: "Let us simply do it the old-fashioned way."

Jin: "And that is?"

Xiaoyu: "Watch and learn… but before we do it, here is my plan. While I talk with her, you sneak up on her from behind and knock her out with a strong and fast jab against her head. I am sure you did this before, so how about this?"

(Jin is quiet for a few seconds, but then shrugs and sighs.)

Jin: "Suit yourself, let's see if this plan of yours works and if doesn't, my weapon comes to usage, if she should get the idea of screaming, is that a deal?"

(The female Chinese hates to use weapons, that require harming the person beforehand, before letting the chemicals enter the body, but… she realizes, that she doesn't want to get caught by the police as much as Jin, so… she growls, but then nods in agreement.)

Xiaoyu: "Fine… we will do this, but I will only do this with you ONE time!"

(She then knocks at the door, which woke Asuka up. She was sleeping in the living-room after having watched a horror movie, but the loud knocking woke her up and so she stirred in an annoyed way and rubs her eyes.)

Asuka: "What is it now…? Can't I get some peace for once…?"

(Asuka then quickly puts on some old jeans, wraps a jacket around her half-naked figure and then quickly runs to the door, scratching her head on the way there, before then opening the door to see Xiaoyu, pretending to be freezing with a disguised Jin standing behind her. Asuka was confused, because she never saw random people simply disturbing her night-peace like this… but it didn't matter to her.)

Asuka: "Uhhh… hello?"

Xiaoyu: "H-Hello Miss… sorry to disturb you, but… can I and my brother sleep in your dojo please…? We have accidently locked ourselves out of our apartment and we look for a warm room… could we please come in…?"

(Asuka's eyes wide, as she never met people, asking for her taking them inside her own home, but as strict as she is, she became quickly suspicious about these two, as she thinks, the two are burglars, only pretending to be homeless and so she becomes serious.)

Asuka: "Wait a second there! From where should I know, that you two might be burglars, who just want to get in here and steal my family's valuables?"

Xiaoyu: "I swear, we aren't burglars…! We are from your neighborhood… please, let us in… or else, we will freeze ourselves to death out here…!"

Asuka: "I don't know… first of all, I never saw you two anywhere near here. Are you two new in town?"

Xiaoyu: "Y-Yes… we just moved in this area a few days ago…"

(While Xiaoyu argues with Asuka, Jin realizes, that his cousin isn't so easy to trick, so he then decides to speed this up, by then starting to jump up and down repeatedly, as if saying, that he needs to take a pee.)

Xiaoyu: "Oh goodness, not this again… my brother has a sensitive bladder, could you at least let him in to use your toilet…?"

(Asuka refuses to show weakness, but when she sees the disguised Jin jumping up and down like crazy, she then sees she doesn't joke around, so she then sighs and steps aside to let Jin in.)

Asuka: "Fine… use the toilet! If you ask where it is, it's the second door on the right, but if I later come in and I see something is missing, I will call the police and don't stay there for too long, so hurry your ass!"

(Jin nods and rushes past her, opens the door of the toilet and smashes the door shut… as Asuka and Xiaoyu keep talking together in the living-room, Jin then warms his fingers and prepares his hand for a jab against her head… while the girls talk, Jin slowly and carefully sneaks up from behind and just when he was about to jab her in the head, she turns around to see him sneaking up on her, but he quickly pulls his hand away and looks elsewhere whistling innocently. Asuka snorts and then turns around to face Xiaoyu again, who is starting to get really nervous at this point, as she sees that their plan can fail anytime soon, if they don't hurry up, and Asuka sees that the Chinese was sweating like crazy and she became concerned.)

Asuka: "Umm, everything OK?"

Xiaoyu: "Y-Yes, i-it's just I'm… i-it's because I… I-I-I really…"

Asuka: "Do you have fever? Let me feel your forehead…"

(She strokes her hand across Xiaoyu's forehead, seeing how hot she is, but when she was finished feeling her head… she abruptly turns around to see a disguised Jin trying to jab her, which causes her to stand up and kick him in the chest, but he blocks it in time and she turns around to punch Xiaoyu in the face, which gets easily blocked by her and she then grabs the college-girl by her arm to pull her closer to her and Xiaoyu wraps her arms tightly under her armpits as hard as she could, making her vulnerable to Jin's grasp, who grabbed both of her legs with his legs and slowly gets close to her face, shutting her mouth with one hand. He then whispers in a worried tone, as he let the syringe slowly slide inside her throat from the side and her eyes slowly shut.)

Jin: "Please forgive me… don't take this personally in any way… Asuka."

(That were the last words that the female Japanese still could hear, before then drifting off into a deep sleep… Jin feels her pulse and sees, she is only sleeping and didn't die, which relieved his friend greatly. She then speaks to him in a serious tone.)

Xiaoyu: "This was the last time, where I help you trying to use a weapon against someone, when he is defenseless…"

(Jin nods and strokes her arm.)

Jin: "I'm sorry, but it was necessary… time didn't become well with us, so I had to think of using my plan as an addition to yours, if yours was about to fail and waste too much time. Also… look outside. The sky is getting less dark… we have to hurry! Now comes the difficult part of our plan!"

(Xiaoyu nods confidently. Jin then decides to carry a sleeping Asuka on his back and hides her under his coat, so that nobody can see her getting carried by him. Both then quickly wipe away all their tracks they left before entering Asuka's home and quickly head back to the ship, before the sunrise.)

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. An Encounter With A Vigilante (Part 2)

**Chapter 6: An Encounter With A Vigilante… With Pain! (Part II)**

(Xiaoyu was breathing heavily, as she and Jin finally reached their destination… the fear of getting caught has become higher, as the sky has grown a turquoise-yellow color, indicating that the sun will rise in very few hours or minutes… she was sweating nervously, when she follows Jin with a sleeping Asuka on his back into a room… it was her's and Jin's bedroom. And when Jin reached the bed, he then softly lays her down on his bed and pulls the blanket over her half-naked body and looks down at her in a sorrowful way, showing that he didn't enjoy doing this at all… he then mutters over to Xiaoyu.)

Jin: "I know, you may say later, I don't know her at all and asking her to help us out of nowhere sounds a bit ridiculous, but… keep in mind, she is a Kazama. Someone of MY blood, someone that is even related to my mother… and we need someone to make sure, that I don't lose control over my devil gene again, but… on a second thought, harming her like this, only for the sake of asking for her aid, is making me feel dreadful, believe it or not… I would never want to harm anyone, that possesses the same blood like me…"

(Xiaoyu feels Jin's sorrow and then leaves the room with him. Both then sit down on a bench outside, before Jin then removes the hat and then looks down and sighs. The female Chinese still feels his desperation and decides to comfort him by cuddling close to him and wrapping her thin, yet firm arms around his body, getting closer to him. Both stayed like this for a while, but just when they thought, they are now ready to wake Jin's cousin up and face her… she woke up by herself… and it all happens by force, as they could hear screams from the room and things being thrown out of the window… both quickly ran upstairs to open the door to face her, but Jin then tells Xiaoyu to stay here and wait for him, and that she shall only help him, if she shall really burst out in rage and also dare to attack her. So he then opens the door and then stands before his cousin… and when her gaze fall on Jin, she mustered him all over, while wearing nothing more than a pink-yellow striped tank-top, jeans, white sweatbands and no shoes or socks… the moment she realizes, that it really was the one man, that brought war and despair among the entire world and the one, that she hates with all her existence, her eyes narrow, grits her teeth, clenches her fists together until they started to bleed and she let her knuckles crack real loudly, while speaking in an angry but silent tone.)

Asuka: "You…! You dare to show your face around in my presence, do you…?! You sure have some guts, I'll give you that…!"

(Jin however remains calm as usual, but he could clearly see, that being calm with a person like this, will only make things worse, so he secretly prepares himself for the coming attack, by letting his neck crack and his hands shake a little.)

Jin: "Yes, it's me, Jin Kazama. And before—"

Asuka: "Shut up! Shut up! Just keep it shut! I don't want to hear anything from your filthy mouth anymore! Chances are, you will probably try to murder me, so that you can throw more filth at my bloodline's name and anyone else, that is related to YOUR crimes and I will never stand for this! You better prepare now, because I won't show any mercy towards low-lives like you, ESPECIALLY those who NEVER learned their lesson the first time around!"

(Jin wanted to try on keep reasoning with her, but there are two factors, that convinced him to better not to. The first one being, that it has become 6 A.M. and the sun already rises from the horizon and second, the risk of her maybe trying to get out and tell the police about his and Xiaoyu's work together was too high of letting it happen, so instead, he throws off his coat and decides to fight in a white shirt, black slackers and suiting shoes.)

Jin: "You won't show mercy? Then don't expect any from me, if that's what you want."

(Xiaoyu quickly realizes, that Asuka has woken up, and she starts to panic and then yells from outside.)

Xiaoyu: "Jin?! Is everything alright in there?!"

Jin: "Xiao! Stay back! And don't get any second thoughts of coming in here and putting more fuel to the fire! She is awake and ready to-!"

(At this moment, Jin got cut off by Asuka running towards him, and then kicking him with all force against the door of the bedroom, which shocked Xiaoyu really bad, but she didn't want to provide more problems, so instead she stood outside, attempting not to interfere.)

(BGM for the situation: Die Hard)

Asuka angrily grabs Jin by his collar, and then throws him against the other side of the room, causing the entire furniture to lose its contains inside and out… but Jin doesn't fight back, or shows any signs of pain, despite being thrown against a bunch of hard objects, but this only made Asuka more eager to inflict pain on him, as she quickly goes over, and then throws him yet again over to the other objects, only this time, she throws him up in the air, and starts to punch him repeatedly in the belly, before then kicking him with a roundhouse kick, making him crash into the other side of the room. "Come on! Fight like a man! If you're really eager on killing me THEN BRING IT ALREADY!". The impact of the second throw made Jin flinch this time, but he refuses to fight seriously, as he doesn't want to harm Asuka too much. She however was in complete blind rage, but this time, he defended himself. She punches him, but he quickly blocks the attack. Both then hit each other with quick punches and each of them get countered by one another with ease, until Asuka then decides to go more aggressive, by kicking him against his head, but he even blocks that without any trouble whatsoever. The more he avoided of getting damage inflicted on himself, the more the female Japanese grew all the more mad with him and so she decides to use more power, by charging a punch and then hitting Jin against his chest with it, but this time, he didn't block and just took the hit, making Asuka smirk in anticipation, still eager to harm her cousin more. But then Jin recovers quickly, as if he never felt the punch even touching him and this was the straw that broke the camel's back, as Asuka growls again, this time even more angry than before and so she starts to hit Jin again and again with really quick and powerful punches, which this time worked on him, as the punches became faster with each hit and after a few hits, they became so fierce, that the final one made Jin crash against the door again, making him then sit on the ground panting with blood running down out of his mouth, but just when his cousin was about to grab him again, this time… he grabs her wrist with all his force, making her eyes wide from the sudden amount of unbearable pain, as his grip was obviously stronger than hers and he speaks in a serious tone, while a little drop of blood runs down his forehead. He wipes it away and then slowly gets close to her face. "It appears, you don't want the more peaceful way out of this… normally, I wanted to avoid this, but from this point on, you give me the impression, that you do want this, so… prepare for this. Because the fun is over! You wanted it and now you get it!". This message shocked Asuka, as she thought before, that fighting Jin was going to be a piece of cake, but after realizing, how strong he really was, she regretted every second of having underestimated him and now she pays the price. Before she knew, she was being sent flying against the window, by Jin hitting her with a strong and quick roundhouse kick from the right against her hip. The force of the kick, made her spit blood. Never before, has she felt this kind of power before, not even from her father, when she trained with him from time to time again. She was used to pain, but THIS… she quickly sees, that Jin was beyond her father's league, when it comes to the force of his attacks and she felt it through her entire body, even though it was just one hit. She falls on her knees and coughs the little bit of blood out, before then standing back up and growling. "You little piece of shit! Is that supposed to make me be scared of you?! Oh no! Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING can intimidate me so easily, ESPECIALLY your plain presence! In fact, it made me now more eager to cause you some more pain, that you deserve!".

(BGM for the situation: Tense Atmosphere)

She shrieks a battle cry and this time runs towards Jin, taunting him with a fake punch of hers, only to then bend down on the ground, pulling off her famous 'Leg Cutter' move two times in a row, before the kicking the young Kazama with all her power through the door, making him break through and land against the edge of the stairs, shocking Xiaoyu, who has been waiting outside the whole time. But Jin couldn't comfort her, even for a short moment, as Asuka quickly runs out of the door, and then picks up Jin by his collar, but he frees himself from her grip, by then kneeing her in the stomach, making her spit blood again from the harsh impact, but to his shock, she still held onto him, even though she was in so much pain and she was spitting blood. He tried it again two times, but she still wouldn't let go, even Xiaoyu then was forced to help Jin, by pulling on Asuka, but she is still holding Jin tightly in her grip. Jin then thinks to himself. "What is going on? She wasn't able to handle one kick of mine before and now all of a sudden, she take three knees without completely breaking together?! I thought, she isn't able to handle my power… it appears so, that I seriously underestimated her… and this was a costly mistake…". And to Xiaoyu's shock, she then rams Jin off the stairs, making her and himself fall down from the highest floor and while the two fall, Asuka then wipes the blood away from her lips and then starts to hit Jin in the face, again and again, and this time, the hits showed actual effect on him, as he groaned in pain from them, but he won't let himself get beat by his cousin and then attempts to turn her around, so that she will be the first to crash into the container beneath them, in which he succeeded, as they broke through with a brutal impact, but to their surprise, both landed on a huge mattress. It didn't take the two long to realize, that they landed in a furniture-container, but that didn't hold them back from keep on fighting through. Jin punches Asuka, and this time, she was able to block the attack and both keep countering each other's attacks and the male Kazama was surprised to see this sudden change of Asuka's movements. "Just how does she do this? A few moments ago, she groaned in pain from ONE hit of mine, but now she can handle more hits coming from me and the punches actually hurt me before… I must say, she surpassed my expectations, she truly IS a Kazama after all. And… I don't know why, but for some reason, I enjoy fighting with her… maybe it's because, she is a Kazama and she has the qualities to surpass me in terms of strength and skill…". However, he then gets cut off, by Asuka hitting him against the closed door of the container and she then jumps back to charge up a more powerful hit, which then gets countered by Jin again, but this causes the door behind to fall apart from the shockwave, caused by their attacks from clashing together. Asuka then jumps back in handstand and growls at him in pure dismay, as she then lets her knuckles crack again. "You dipshit honestly thought, kidnapping me was easy?! Well, think again! 'Cause I am not gonna hold anything back now! You want me to break your bones, then expect me to do this with pleasure!". Jin, as usual, remains calm in a tight situation like this, and gets ready for more, but to his shock, before he knew, Asuka was already before, punching him over and over again in the tummy, making him spit from the immense force that his cousin puts into her fists. This is when the Kazama realizes, that Asuka was not bluffing before. Through him making her mad, he now sees, that he triggered a power inside his cousin, which allowed her to become way stronger and resistant to physical damage. He knows this, because he has the same thing, only way more harder to trigger, since he always remains calm in every battle and the last time, where this energy got triggered, it was during the last bout with the Mishimas, when his mother got severely injured by Kazumi and this caused him to become horribly angry, to the point where he almost lost control and this was the same case here with Asuka. His presence alone made her so mad, that the effects of the Kazama-Spirit were starting to become apparent and he gets to feel, what Kazumi felt in return. And while Asuka keeps hitting her older cousin over and over again, she arrogantly laughs in the process. "Well Jin?! Are you now getting second thoughts of challenging me?! True Kazamas just can never lose! Especially pathetic beings like you deserve nothing but to get crushed under my foot, like cockroaches! I NEVER lose! Not here and not today!". She then jumps back to then attempt to make Jin fly off the boat, by simply kicking him into the hip with a sharp roundhouse kick, but before her foot could touch Jin, he quickly opens his eyes and grabs her entire leg, turning it over painfully, making Asuka shriek in pain and spit blood, and he then smashes her against the next-near container-door and on the way there, Jin runs after her and glides across the floor, only to then impale her from below with his leg and then smash the front-side of her entire body against the door, then he starts hitting her many times in the chest over and over again and each hit became faster and stronger, until he then charges and lands a devastating punch against her tummy, making her spit blood from the brutal impact and the door behind her open. Behind her were plenty of equipment for sports, like gloves, rollerblades, bamboo-sticks, soccer-balls, skateboards etc. Asuka was groaning in pain, as she clutches her stomach, before then going on her knees, as spit mixed with blood starts to drip from her mouth, indicating that Jin this time managed to inflict serious on her this time. Jin then folds his arms and looks down at her, as she tries to stand up, but instead, she steps backwards, while still being on her knees and he speaks in a serious tone. "Listen… this is seriously getting out of hand. I didn't want to do this, but you force me to. I never wanted to harm you to begin with, but all you did was simply pouring more fuel to the fire, therefore you now sit here and pay the price for your overconfidence. I said it once and I say it one last time… let's stop this and talk this out like civilized people. I demand for a peaceful solution.". Although not intentional, Asuka was now even more angry than before. Just seeing him still standing, looking like she didn't even put a scratch on him, despite having managed to overcome his strong defense, made her blood boil. "You… filthy… arrogant… wretched… little…-". She then realizes, that there are dart-knives behind her and so she secretly grabs one, with her hand being hidden behind her back and then she yells at him again, before throwing the dart-knife. "…SCUM-SUCKING PIG!". Jin couldn't dodge the knife in time, and it hit him directly in the right biceps, making him flinch in pain, and he then feels blood dripping through the sleeve. She hit him. Xiaoyu saw this in horror and quickly runs down the stairs to go and assist her good friend, for the worst case. Asuka then runs towards Jin and knees him brutally in the tummy, making him fall on the floor hard. Then she pulls off her famous Leg Cutters on him and does that five times in a row and then charges and then sends a weakened Jin flying against the door of the last container they were in, a few moments ago. She then grabs him by his arms, knees him in the tummy beforehand, before then smashing him on the metallic floor again and then throws him high up in the air, which she ends with an elbow, making Jin spit more blood, as the elbow hit him directly in the face. He then crashes on the floor hard, before then Asuka stands over him panting, but her short victory was short-lived as she then suddenly gets hit in the hip with a roundhouse kick… the hit came from Xiaoyu, who looked really angry at the female Japanese, who stepped back while clutching her wounded hip. Xiaoyu had seen enough and was now ready to make Asuka pay for harming Jin like this in an unfair way, by first throwing a knife at his arm and attacking him, while he was completely defenseless. She growls at Asuka. "I heard, there are people who respect you and I can't see why, now after seeing what you just did to my friend! You simply have no honor and THIS proves it! I know, that Jin is a criminal, but does THAT give you the right to treat him like this?! First stunning him with a sharp weapon and THEN keep attacking him, while he was completely unable to defend himself?! That is what I call unfair!". Asuka scoffs and then puts her hands on her hips, while looking at her in a disgusted way. "YOU say I have no honor? And this comes from the person, that supports what he has done, yeah right! As if you are better than me, when you are on his side!". "Who says, I support the crimes he committed?! If anything, I am ASHAMED of these events, but I still don't treat him like dirt, like you do, because he is my friend and he had his reasons for the mess he started! Heck, I think these are reasons you might never understand, but to be bloody honest, I don't even care! But I won't tolerate how you treat him, so better prepare, because now you crossed the line with me!". Asuka simply spits the blood, that she licked up from the side of her mouth, to the right, smirks and warms her arms and legs a little. "You want to end up like him? Good, let me help you with this then.". Xiaoyu gets into her chinese stance and the battle got on.

(BGM for the situation: Explosion)

Xiaoyu runs towards Asuka, and she does it too, and she is the first to attack the female Chinese, as she charges a punch, but Xiaoyu, as agile and flexible as she is, quickly ducks and then charges and hits the Kazama upwards with both of her hands in jabbing way, making her fly up in the air and before she could land on the floor, Xiaoyu dashes back and then dashes back forward to hit her with 'Pushing Hands', making her fly back, rubbing a little across the metallic floor, but she quickly gets back up and growls. "Not a bad move there, but this won't be enough to take me down! You will have to use more force than that!". Xiaoyu shakes her hands a little to warm them up. "You want more? Then don't come back to me later, crying to me!". However, then Asuka groans, as she did become weaker from her last fight with Jin, and this clearly showed through all the wounds she received from his brutal attacks. But she stood strong and refuses to show weakness, however she did know, that she won't last for long, as her wounds might take more strength from her away than needed during the fight. She growls and gets ready for Xiaoyu, who jumped forward and rolled like a ball, only to taunt her with a false jab upwards, while she is in her known 'Phoenix Stance' and instead then jumps back like a monkey and then surprises Asuka, by elbowing her, while she doesn't face her, making her tumble back and Xiaoyu keeps attacking with jabs from left and right, while going backwards and she then quickly turns around, only to then hit the female Japanese with a fan-like movement down with her jab. She then quickly jumps again and kicks Asuka in the face, while she jumps back in somersault again, but this time, she was able to block it. But Xiaoyu had a different stragety. She jumps back again and then just taunts Asuka again like before, only this time… she ducks and jabs her upwards in the air, then juggles her to keep her up in the air and then ends the combo, by stepping quickly forward and then jabbing her against the stomach, making her fly against the metallic door that lead to the inside of the boat. Xiao then takes the chance and runs to the Japanese girl, in order to hit her again, while she still stood up and she then yells out for her. "Do you have enough? Or do you long for more?!". And just after Asuka stood back up, Jin has already removed the knife and has wrapped a thick bandage over his injured arm and keeps on watching the fight between his friend and his cousin. She, even though she was injured, then starts to smirk, while then everything slows down, as Xiaoyu is about to jab her again, and speaks out in an arrogant tone. "…More like, do YOU want more?". She then steps aside and kicks Xiaoyu really hard in the face, making her tumble back. She then quickly dashes forward and punches her in the stomach, stunning her with it. She kicks her in the face again and then steps back to pull off a favorite move of hers. She spins on her heel and then, after the eighth time, everything slows down again and Xiaoyu's facial expression becomes a shocked one, after she realizes that Asuka is about to send her flying with a 'Spinning Heel'. And just after she gets hit by it, everything becomes normal again and she gets sent flying, making her rub the floor while falling back. Asuka then runs towards her, while Xiaoyu is still on the ground, rubbing her face from the harsh force of the kick she just received, and then bends forward to hit her with one 'Leg Cutter' in the stomach, making her groan loudly and then she gets picked up by Asuka by the collar of her white shirt and then gets punched in the chest over and over again, while Asuka angrily speaks to her, while making her scream in pain. "Well, as if one troublemaker isn't enough, NOW I have to deal with two? Nice, then more work for me! You know what? Let me just literally punch some sense into you, while I'm already at it at being the victor in both moral AND terms of combat skills, how about this, huh?!". But then, Xiaoyu had enough and attempts to knee Asuka in the stomach, but she quickly catches her knee with her own knee, making Xiaoyu growl in anger herself. "You bitch! Let me go!". She then gets kicked in the stomach by Xiao's second knee, making her spit from the impact and that move freed the female Chinese from her foe's grip. Both then start to hit each other repeatedly with each hit countered by jabs and punches, but then Asuka grabs one of Xiaoyu's hand, pulls her past herself and pins her down against the floor, by pressing one foot against the female Chinese's back, while also then grabbing the arm with which she pulled her down to the floor and tightens her grip, while speaking out a warning. "Now, let me explain this situation. I am obviously stronger than you are, even though I am clearly damaged from the last fight with your accursed buddy over there, I just humiliated you by attacking you, while you had no opportunity to block my attacks AND now you are under my foot, about to get your left arm broken, if I just grip a little tighter and turn your arm around. I give you two options… number one, I won't break your arm, as long as you promise me now, to get Jin over here and we three go to the police, so that you two can finally see, why everyone shall never dare to humiliate and kidnap me, or the second option is, I break your arm and will keep torturing you, until you finally see, why everyone doesn't call me a vigilante for nothing, got that? What do you say?". Xiaoyu shrieks in pain from how much Asuka actually puts strength into her tight grip around her left wrist, but she refuses to sell herself and Jin over to the police, even though she is about to lose the fight, as she cares too much for her friend and it would break her heart, to do something that goes against him, so she replies in an angry tone. "No way… ever in hell, would I… sell myself and Jin to the public… just because of one plain control-freak, like you… who thinks, that being a vigilante… is also connected with wishing death upon someone… so up your ass, with your options!". Asuka becomes really angry by what Xiaoyu just said and made the grip even tighter. "I warn you… I REALLY mean it with breaking your arm, I am not scared of doing it like breaking a burned up piece of bamboo in two halves… better think again, before I do so… it's not wise to make me more pissed off than I already am, girl.". The Chinese girl growls in pain, but still refuses to accept the offer. "I won't… repeat myself… up your ass, with your offer…! I won't ever… give up… like that! Jin is my friend… and a true friend would never backstab his partner like that… if you want to break my entire arm, then do it…! I am not scared of you… ESPECIALLY of you and your poor attempts of threatening me…!". Asuka then shakes her head. "You still refuse, you sure are a resistant one, aren't you? What a shame… now say Sayonara to your arm!". But just when she was about to break her arm, she gets brutally kicked in the face by Jin, who just had enough of watching his best friend suffer, and lands against a wall. The kick this time managed to bend her nose a little bit, causing it to bleed… she groans in pain, and then fixes her nose back to the old shape, making it crack… she then turns around to face an angry-looking Jin, who then speaks in a deadly serious tone. "I am slowly seriously losing my patience with you… if you won't cooperate, and you feel like it's really necessary to drag this entire situation out longer than needed, especially with you harming my friend… then I am afraid, I'll have to end this now!". He growls and let his body spark red lightnings, before then dashing to her, grabbing her up by her throat and punches her really hard in the face, and he let his fists sparkle too. He then starts his special move. He keeps punching her over and over again, while his fists are powered up and repeatedly punches her against the wall, making her spit blood a-plenty in the process of his attack and after the twentieth time, he jumps back, charges up, dashes forward and then smashes her through the wall with a fully charged 'Avenger' in the chest, making her fall through the wall inside the empty office of the captain, where she crashes into the desk of him. Jin pants heavily and clutches his injured arm. Despite the high amount of pain he got during the attack, he was still able to resist of giving up, so he sighs and shakes his head in disappointment. "Like I said earlier… I didn't want it to come to this…".

(BGM for the situation: Dark Half)

(Asuka groans, stirs and then slowly stands back up on one knee, while panting heavily and groaning in pain at the same time, which shocked Jin greatly, as so far, nobody managed to stand up after such a powerful attack.)

Jin: "What…?! You can still stand up?! What kind of freak of nature are you?!"

Asuka: "I will… not… give up… until… you bastard… drop before my feet… in pain… and… you finally… learn… your lesson… to not… mess… with me!"

(Her injuries were really severe at this point, as blood gashes through from her forehead and out of her mouth and her actually flawless and creamy skin was covered in bruises. Her tank-top was half-way torn up and almost reveals her entire tummy… she was in pain, but she just refuses to let her cousin win, so she shrieks a battle-cry after having warned Jin beforehand and cracked her knuckles one last time, before then running towards her weakened and exhausted cousin and then punches him with all the power she had in her in the face, then five times in the stomach, making him spit blood again, jumps back while hitting him with her 'Dragon Wheel' kick under his chain, making him fly high up in the air and while Asuka pants really badly, she swings her right arm in a circle and just before Jin could touch the ground, she smashes her fist right into his chest with all the spirit she had left in her and sent him flying, making him rub the floor, before he nearly reaches the edge of the boat, about to nearly fall into the water beneath him. He coughs up blood and clutches his chest.)

Jin: "Just… what kind of power is this…?! Never before have I… felt such huge force, being pushed… against my body… she is almost down, yet managed to inflict a lot more damage than expected on me…! It just can't be…!"

(Asuka pants really heavily and then falls on her knees, before then really slowly limping to the half-way unconscious Jin and kneeling near his face… she leans forward and narrows her eyes, while panting and speaking in a broken voice.)

Asuka: "Well… got enough…? Or shall I-!"

(She then wraps her hands tightly around his throat, attempting to choke him and throwing him off the ship, but then… he opens his eyes and quickly overpowers her, by kneeing her to the side and then quickly standing over her body, while pressing his hands with all the power he had left inside him against her arms, attempting himself to let her fall inside the ice-cold water… he growls and pants while speaking…)

Jin: "I am… truly… sick… of all this… nonsensical and senseless fighting…! Now listen to me… I can see… that you are tired… and much like me… our injuries really takes the wind out of our sails… so this is your last chance… you either accept now defeat and let me talk this out with you… or…"

(He pushes her slowly forward, letting her head hang beyond the edge of the boat, making her eyes wide a little in nervousness.)

Jin: "...I push you further… and let you drop into the icy coldness of the water beneath us… and let you freeze there… and don't… even bother… trying to kick me… as you are just as exhausted as me… now… did I… make myself… clear…?! Huh…?!"

(Asuka knew it was foolish to now freeze to death in the cold ocean, but… she just hates it so much to accept defeat to someone she should be able to beat… her overconfidence was still strong, even in this situation, so as stubborn as she is, she STILL refuses… and wraps her hands around his throat, attempting in still chocking him, making him look pissed in the process as both still struggle, but just when Jin was about to push her off the boat, he hears a familiar voice, yelling in a sad voice…)

?: "STOP IT YOU TWO! JUST STOP! I JUST HAD ENOUGH OF THIS RIDICULOUS BULLSHIT! WHY CAN'T WE JUST TALK LIKE NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE OUR FISTS THE WHOLE TIME?! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT ALL THIS EVEN JUST HAPPENED, SO WHY CAN'T YOU TWO SIMPLY JUST STOP THIS NONSENSE AND ACTUALLY NOW LISTEN TO THE WORDS RATHER THAN THE FISTS AND FEET, PLEASE?!"

(Asuka and Jin turns their heads to look at a weeping and panting Xiaoyu, whose sorrowful eyes, plead for them to stop this senseless fighting… normally, Asuka never gives up in a fight, but considering the facts, that Jin listed up for her a moment ago, made her ease up her grip around Jin and the same goes to him. Both stop holding each other and instead then lay next to each other on the metallic and cold ground, looking at the sky in an apathetic manner, before then looking at each other in a cold way, but then Asuka thinks to herself.)

Asuka: "OK… despite all this… this was a really fight we put on here… I never had this much fun in fighting in such a long time… nobody so far managed to injure me like this, besides my father and Mrs. Kawasaki… and he sure is one tough opponent…"

(Jin then smiles a bit to himself, while also thinking to himself.)

Jin: "I really am baffled… today, I think I found… a truly worthy rival, next to Hwoarang… sure, it was really vicious and at several times unfair, but… nonetheless, I am really impressed at how long she managed to survive in this fight… normally, the opponents I fought so far, were easy to beat, but her… she was a tough nut… she takes everything, only to then become stronger than before… and I am honest, I am proud of her… she does have the skills and the will-power… I even believe, that she can surpass me, if she wanted to…"

(Xiaoyu runs over and helps the two up, to carry them into the medical room for treatment… then the captain comes, after having watched this vicious battle and helps her with the two to carry them downstairs to treat their wounds and while they are on their way there, Asuka looks at Jin and shows a REALLY thin grin shows at the edge of her second-half of her mouth, before then passing out through exhaustion, as they get carried away to get their injuries treated…)

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. An Encounter With A Vigilante (Part 3)

**Chapter 7: An Encounter With A Vigilante… With Pain! (Part III)**

(Opening: Three Days Grace – Break)

(After a really vicious battle between Jin and Asuka, both are now laying in Jin's and Xiaoyu's cabin… it took Xiaoyu and the captain of the ship a few hours, until they finally managed to fully treat their severe wounds from their harsh first encounter. Asuka's view on Jin hasn't changed too much, but deep down… she doesn't feel threatened by him anymore, now that it came to a draw between the two cousins… she now sees Jin as a worthy enemy… however, she was now curious about what Jin wants for her, so she decides to ask him this evening…)

(It became late… Asuka and Jin lay in bed, separate from each bed, while being covered in bandages. Asuka looks at the damage he and her cousin did, while fighting and she started to feel dreadful about all of this. She chuckles nervously as she looks around and she had to awkwardly remark the results of her outburst.)

Asuka: "Soooo, THIS can be pretty much described as the proper definition of 'I overdid it'."

(The young Kazama looks around himself and he agrees to that fact, with a blunt and short reply.)

Jin: "…yes, you're so right."

Asuka: "Hey, ummm… ummmm…"

(She started to blush out of complete embarrassment, because she still can't believe, that she talks to her own cousin, whom she changed her mind over many hours ago... it still frustrates her, that she wasn't able to beat Jin, but on the other hand, she had to admit, that he actually fought fair and didn't use cheap tricks, like any other criminal she fought before in her life as vigilante, and she only lost, because she got too careless in a few occasions during their match. However, she still doesn't fully trust her cousin, obviously. So she hesitates with asking questions.)

Asuka: "May I ask... and sorry if I say anything offending... why are you here anyway...?"

(Jin then turns slowly around to face her and he looked pretty neutral.)

Jin: "Well, this may sound strange to you, since we never met before and therefore, we don't know one another personally, but... I came all the way here, because I wanted to meet you in person, however... giving the current situation I'm in at the moment with the law, I just can't afford to get to meet you in public in person, as this would have only caused nothing but problems."

(Asuka raises one of her eye-brows in a puzzled way.)

Asuka: "And WHY did you want to see me so badly?"

(Jin scratches the back of his head.)

Jin: "Because... I need your help."

(Asuka's eyes wide from what he just said and she carefully sits up to listen properly to what he has to say.)

Asuka: "My help? But... why out of all people, why ME, if I may ask?"

(Jin looks on the floor with somewhat sad eyes.)

Jin: "It's not so simple... I expect you to not understand it, by the first time hearing it."

(This made Asuka all the more curious, so she couldn't help, but keep throwing questions at her cousin.)

Asuka: "Oh, c'mon now, whatever it is, I doubt it will be THAT hard to understand for me. Well, what is it?"

(Before Jin could say anything, Xiaoyu comes in and brings some food for the two. She smiles at the two in a warm way, before then putting the food on the nightstand between the two injured fighters and sitting down on the edge of Jin's bed.)

Xiaoyu: "Hello! I see your recovery isn't going too shabby!"

(Jin chuckles.)

Jin: "I guess. Could be better. But at least, I can move properly again."

Xiaoyu: "I was really surprised, at how you managed to inflict so much damage on Jin. And you should know, that he saved the world for more than one time! By that point, I thought he was invincible, but apparently, I was proven wrong today..."

(Asuka then becomes really confused, after Xiaoyu mentioned something about her cousin having saved the world, for more than once.)

Asuka: "Whoa-whoa-whoa, hold your horses! What did you say? He saved the world? When?"

(The female Chinese then looks at her in a neutral way and chuckles.)

Xiaoyu: "Oh, so he didn't tell you yet, did he?"

(Jin then looks at her and his cousin in a serious way with narrowed eyes.)

Jin: "Well, I was planning on getting to that topic, but let me answer her previous question first. And you better listen carefully, because it's more complicated than it is."

Asuka: "Go on, I'm all ears."

(He inhales and then starts speaking.)

Jin: "To answer your question, why I chose you, is because you and I share the same blood. We both are Kazamas... well, you're a full-blooded one at least, because as for me, I am half-Kazama, half-Mishima."

(Asuka's eyes wide a little in surprise, from that fact, since she never knew that. But she decides to not interrupt her cousin in his monologue, so she let him get on with what he was trying to tell her.)

Jin: "...and believe me when I say, that I curse the fact, that I am not a full Kazama, because I HATE the Mishima bloodline. I don't know, if you already know this, but I am going to tell you about my family in specifics. First, there is my mother, Jun Kazama... and then, there is my father, Kazuya Mishima, although I never saw and accepted him as my father after everything what he has done to me, and then, there is my grandfather, Heihachi Mishima. And the last one... was the one, who caused me to become the way I am now. How you may ask? Well... by backstabbing me and using my trust, just after I beat his oh-so-precious monster, Ogre... I still loath the very day, I let this bastard even train me."

(He then looks down, while still talking in a somewhat disappointed-sounding tone.)

Jin: "Just after I beat this monstrosity, that is Ogre, Heihachi and a few of his guards arrived and ambushed me. It all resulted in me getting shot so many times, I could have easily been a piece of cheese from Switzerland, but the straw, that broke the camel's back for me, was how I saw my very own grandfather, shooting me in the head... if it wasn't for the devil gene, I would have remained dead and this is where the fiasco began."

(He looks back up at her, only far more serious, with his eyes narrowed. Xiaoyu sees this and her eyes lost her their cheerfulness immediately.)

Jin: "Due to Heihachi betraying me, my rage and my devil gene, completely consumed my mind and the last thing I could remember, was how I smashed that old man down the tower, before I then completely lost my memory of what I've done... only I then found myself, laying in a bed, in a hospital, somewhere in Australia... from that day on, I spent the next two years with forgetting every single technique of the Mishima Karate, to simply learn the traditional style of Karate AND letting myself drown in my own anger and hatred for my bloodline. I've never forgotten and I've never forgiven... and yes, it only got worse. Just after the 4th tournament was announced, I caught wind of it and immediately made my way back to Japan, because when I looked through the lists of the competitors, among them... was my father, whom I believed to be dead, but I was wrong. He was very alive and back for revenge... I didn't know him that much, but just the fact, that he is the one, that possesses one half of the devil gene, it already made me feel alarmed. I could sense, that he is after me. He wanted my power back for himself, and I couldn't let that happen, so I entered the tournament and through some luck-streak... I managed to beat the two, but I didn't kill them, like I originally intended to... I was held back, by the spirit of my mother... so I let the two live and flew off, and I didn't care where my way should go, I simply wanted to get away from that place... and I did, but after that, it didn't get better and this is where I completely lost my mind... and this resulted in me, after having Heihachi's father defeated, Jinpachi, taking over the Mishima Zaibatsu and letting a war flare across the entire globe."

(Asuka was baffled at this story, and she was also shocked at why Jin is behaving this ominously, whenever she looks into his eyes. She then became curious again.)

Asuka: "So... let me sum this up: Your family is just filled with power-hungry assholes and you simply didn't want to be part of their bandwagon of , right?"

(Jin nods, but this only brought up more questions for the young Kazama to ask.)

Asuka: "But if that's true... why did you start a war then? It just doesn't make any sense to me, you could have easily just beat the two one time and called it a day, but... why?!"

Jin: "It's not that simple... at that time, my own Devil gene started having a stronger grip on my soul and I felt it. It was made worse by the fact, that Kazuya has taken over the G-Corporation, right after I announced the 6th tournament AND the war against the entire world and his obvious target, was me. As I mentioned earlier, he still hasn't given up yet on getting me and my Devil gene for his own, so that he can become complete again, so... I was forced into announcing the tournament, in hopes of luring him over, so that I can finish him and Heihachi off once and for all and not only them... I also wanted this... thing... to disappear from this world."

(Jin's grip on the blanket tightens and he grits his teeth a little together.)

Jin: "Azazel... this monster, from the deepest bounds of hell, my tormentor... he was the reason, why my control over the Devil gene almost completely vanished."

Asuka: "Azazel? And... how were you able to get rid of him? Because from the way you talk about him, it appears to me, that you already destroyed him, but how?"

Jin: "Well... now THIS is the one of the prime factors, why I had to start a war. For one thing, after I made a long research about the Egyptian mythology and found out, who was torturing me mentally day in and day out, I had to make harsh arrangements and believe it or not, I am NOT proud of having done this and I NEVER will be, but... the circumstances asked for actions like these. The only way, at how to break his influence on me, was forcing him to turn into his physical form, but there was one problem: You need negative energy in the form of anything that is coming close to what I am... hatred and mistrust. And this is where I had the idea of starting a war, because... what does a war bring? The exact negative energy, powerful enough to force him, to turn into his physical appearance... I've managed to do this and even destroyed him, before he could make anything worse, but of course, no war ends with a huge price... many lives were lost... and to my displeasure, my Devil gene was still there, it didn't relinquish as I expected it to do... comes out, that Azazel was NOT the one responsible for me being this way, at least not entirely... I was really angry, because it was not until later, when I found out, who really was behind my Devil gene existing in me and that was Akuma..."

(Asuka's eye-brows raised a few times, the more Jin mentions his Devil gene and so she wanted to know more about it.)

Asuka: "Wait... now and then, you keep reminding me of your so-called "Devil gene"... mind to explain to me what that is exactly and how it caused you to be so insane?"

(Jin then sighs and nods.)

Jin: "Alright, I think I've confused you a little, didn't I? Then I apologize... well, then let me put this short... the Devil gene is a mighty source of power, that lives within your soul. It's so mighty, that it can even make the mentally strongest of the lot lose himself in its grasp of complete control... the more emotions you show, the more of an easy target you become for Devil and he won't make exceptions... once you give in, you will lose anything that has originally represented you, what you really are. Basically, you become a monster... and there is nothing you can do to stop it... you will have to carry this burden for the rest of your life and no science will help you. All it can do, is simply drag out the inevitable... and to make matters worse, I belong to those unfortunate souls, that wasn't strong enough to withstand the overwhelming control of my Devil gene... and it all happened at once, right after I destroyed Jinpachi... it was only then, when I came into the Mishima Zaibatsu, when I realized... I had to find a solution to this and quick. If I don't act now, anything I've done so far will be in vain, so I was preparing to head straight to Egypt to face Azazel alone and the results, well... you already know, so I think I don't need to say it twice, right?"

Asuka: "And... what does anything of what you're telling me have to do with me?"

Jin: "I get to this now... when I've lost hope in the 7th tournament in trying to cure myself from this accursed power and I reencountered my mother... I realized, I was looking in the wrong direction the whole time. I came to realize, that I can't control this power on my own, without help, because when my mother touched me, after I killed Heihachi's wife and Kazuya's mother, Kazumi, my Devil transformation faded away, within the brink of ONE touch... and then I remembered Kazuya's words about why he wasn't able to absorb my power... it was because of the fact, that I have Kazama blood running through my veins and THAT was the reason, why he wasn't able to retrieve the other half of his own Devil gene from me... and that is why I need your help. I need you, so that I can live on without having to fear to transform again. Yes, that italian exorcist may have been able to seal Devil away in my body, preventing him from any more attempts of taking control of me again, but this DOESN'T guarantee anything, as it could happen anytime soon, that the seal might break and Devil will be free again and then, the fun is over, so... yes, the reason, why I need you, is because you are the only one, aside from my mother, that should be able to prevent my Devil gene to fully morph again, as it did before. So the operative question here is... are you willing to help me?"

(Asuka's eyes wide in shock at the thought of her, HELPING a criminal, as it completely goes to her mindset of being a vigilante. And when she thought about anything that he told her up until now, she had to admit on the inside, that she felt really sorry for him, for having gone through all this, but since she doesn't like to show weakness in any way, she instead becomes angry and narrows her eyes as she exclaims out loud.)

Asuka: "What?! In other words, I shall become your slave, who shall keep holding your hand, just for your own sake?! If you say, your mother can do it, why don't you just ask her instead of me?!"

Jin: "Well, I wish I could, but unfortunately, she never told me, where she went off to, right after I landed in the hospital! Is it now any wonder to you now, why I even bother to come all the way here for you?"

Asuka: "Well, duh, maybe you could look for her instead of asking me! Because I won't help you! First, just so you know, I am a public vigilante and by helping you, this would only ruin my reputation and in these tough times, this is the very least problem I need at the moment! Secondly, what's the point of helping you, when I will get to jail for this anyway? Sooner or later, they WILL find this out and then I will be in deep shit!"

Xiaoyu: "Looking for Jin's mother would just take way too long, especially now, since she never told Jin or anyone else, where she went and by looking for her, this would only waste more time than necessary! Like Jin said, the seal won't hold forever, so better think again, as when he will transform, anything and everyone will be in great danger!"

Asuka: "Oh, come on! I don't even believe you, that it could be THAT bad! Why don't you just go and learn somehow, to get to control your gene better? I mean, it can't be that hard to gain control over something, that is in your very own body!"

Jin: "Trust me, I really want to know, how to do that myself, but I don't know any techniques for that! I don't even know, HOW to control the Devil gene on your own without anyone's help! Whenever I become very emotional, the gene simply takes advantage of me and whenever I tried to stop it from gaining control of me, it was already too late and believe it or not, I am also planning on trying to find a way, on how to control my gene properly, without any help from anyone, but until then, I at least want you to keep my gene in order!"

(Xiaoyu's eyes then become shiny, as if she was pleading her with them.)

Xiaoyu: "And we promise, that we will try anything in our might to make sure, that you will not get into trouble for anything of what we are planning to do. We will do anything and we will also guarantee, that you will be in safe hands, while you stay with us."

(Jin's friend then looks at Asuka in a deeply concerned way, as the heated argument seems to stop raging at this point and so she softly speaks to her.)

Xiaoyu: "Listen... I know, it's hard for you to trust Jin, when you consider his previous acts, but... could you please give him one more chance? Trust me, when I say, that he deeply regrets ever having started a war in the first place and that he wants to become a better person in general again... like he said, that war occurred under hectic and chaotic circumstances, but the intentions behind it, weren't connected to either world domination or blind rampage all across the globe, just for the sake of showing the power he possessed at the time... all it was, was a plan to save the world from a greater evil... and if it wasn't for him, the world might have really been in bad shape afterwards, so... you've got to at least give him credit for having given a damn about anyone around the world, unlike his father and his grandfather... his methods may have been extreme, but it was necessary to assure, that this evil will be put back to its place... and I don't want to sound like I want to look for excuses for his motives, but you have to keep one thing in mind, why Jin is the way he is now. Yes, Heihachi may have been responsible for his condition, but there is far more to it than that... you may wonder, why Jin always talks lovingly about his mother, well... it's because, he was fooled into thinking, that this monster in question, Ogre, seemingly murdered his mother, just when he became 15 years old... this event, marked the first day in his life, where Jin ever got to witness this strong urge for vengeance, after he watched how his loved one got almost sent to hell, because of his monstrosity... she may have survived, as you already know, but this didn't change anything for Jin, because he wasn't aware of her return, until the 7th tournament and while she wasn't there, he was all on his own, for the next years to come. I've always looked up to him, because of how brave he was and how much he is willing to assure the safety for all of us... and just watching him, being this completely apathetic towards me, may have upset me, but I understood why, since he went through the worst years of his life and so I didn't want to upset him instead... well, better listen first, before jumping straight to conclusions without thinking twice, you might say..."

(Asuka then becomes silent, as she realizes, that arguing with them is futile, because for one thing, she is now seeing, why Jin is the way he is and after hearing his story from Xiaoyu, she now feels guilty for being this hostile towards him, yet at the same time, again, she hates to show her soft and tender side, as she doesn't trust him at all. So... she then slowly stands up from her bed and shakes her head.)

Asuka: "Sorry... I am not interested."

Xiaoyu: "What? Why not? Didn't we promise, that we will make sure, that you won't get in trouble for anything we do?"

(While Asuka puts some socks on, she looks at them in a serious way, trying to hide her hidden feelings of guilt.)

Asuka: "You heard me, I won't help you. Just because you told me his sad story of life, this still doesn't change my mind... and here is a thing for both of you... I am not helping any criminals, because in MY eyes, they have to achieve a second chance first, and they won't with simply just beating me. And also..."

(Her serious gaze falls on Jin.)

Asuka: "...you've got to be the most pathetic of the whole bunch. You seriously believe, by letting a friend of yours, which is even more pathetic, tell the story of your life, is going to change my mind about you? No, this is not how I roll! In fact, you actually made your case worse, because you were trying to attract my pity and this is NOT going to happen anytime soon. And I am sorry for everything that you had to go through, because of your messed up family, I really am, but the fact, that you use all this as an excuse for all the crimes, that you have committed, makes me SICK! And hell, why did you seriously have to waste your life-time in trying to have your revenge on both of them? You could have simply moved on from them and actually started a new life somewhere else, but you obviously didn't do that..."

(Jin then looks down, as Asuka's harsh words did indeed hurt him hard... he didn't expect any of these negative memories to return THIS fast... but Asuka wasn't done.)

Asuka: "And one more thing... why do you even bother asking for my help, if you can't even help yourself? I appreciate your attempt of trying to become a better person, but for the love of god, stop using your Devil gene as an excuse for your behaviour... maybe I am wrong, and maybe it IS impossible to control this stupid power, but still, overwhelming power doesn't excuse foul demeanor, especially towards those, that want to be friends with you and also support you, so... my answer is a clear: No. I won't help you."

(Jin and Xiaoyu let their heads hang, as Asuka, despite the fact, that she can't understand, what emotional turmoil and painful disappointments Jin really had to suffer through over the past years, as she seems to never have suffered any of that pain he had to feel, does have a point and especially Jin can't deny that... he came to realize, that there is simply no chance of her joining him, so he pretty much, although he isn't the type of person to do that, gave up... he then speaks in a soft tone.)

Jin: "Alright... captain, bring her back home."

Xiaoyu: "But Jin, didn't we say, that-"

Jin: "Xiao, I know, this may sound totally unlike me to do that, but no matter what the case, I simply CAN'T force anyone to support me, I did this before, when I was the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu and I don't want to do this ever again... it's their decision after all."

(Xiaoyu then becomes silent, as she then watches the captain taking Asuka carefully away from here... and just as the young Kazama got into the next near taxi, after having received a warm coat and a suitable hat for the cold night, she then starts to think about what happened today... on one hand, she was proud of having proved to be superior in this situation in terms of morals, but on the other hand, she feels really guilty for having so cold-heartedly treated Jin, as she totally ignored his feelings... he only wanted her help and he even said please... she didn't want to hurt him like THIS, as this also went against her codex as a vigilante. One of her main rules, was to help people, emotionally and even physically, through defending them from bad guys, however THIS case was really complicated for her, as Jin was different from the other bad guys, she had to face until now... for one thing, after their quarrel, she didn't feel threatened by him anymore in the slightest, if anything, she actually grew to have an odd respect for him, which she couldn't really explain... and for another, she wanted to help him, she really wanted to, but the fact, that he was still considered a world-wide seeked-for criminal, made her turn away from him, as this goes against her rules... but there was another factor, that held her back from helping her cousin. After the war was over, after the 7th tournament, a lot of countries in the world have plunged into a new financial depression and Osaka belonged to one of those regions, that suffered from this, so this meant, that there will be much more criminal activity than ever, which means, more work for her and if she really decided to help Jin Kazama, every criminal will attempt to go after her, all at once, only so that they can get to him, so it wasn't that much of a foolish decision after all... after she arrived at her home, she looks up and looks kind of sad and angry at the same time.)

Asuka: "What a night... at least, my parents aren't at home... otherwise, I would have been in big trouble..."

(She then takes the key, that was below the foot-pad and opens the door to enter and finally go to sleep in her own bed...)

(Meanwhile with Jin and Xiaoyu... both have entered the sea again, alongside Yuzuko's crew on their respective ship and are on their way back to China to live there for a while, for the meantime... Jin was at the back of the ship, looking down at the running water in a depressed away, letting the wind stroke his bangs, making them dance in the wind... after everything Asuka said, he had to question his own life and all the mistakes that he made... it hurt, but it was the cold truth and he accepted it all... Xiaoyu sees that, and so she slowly approaches him from behind and wraps her arms around his torso, surprising him. She then spoke in a soft and worried tone, as the conversation with Asuka also was still stuck in her head and it also hurt her, much like Jin...)

Xiaoyu: "Jin... what shall we do now? Our plan seemed to have failed..."

(Jin strokes her hands, that have wrapped around his torso and speaks in a soft tune as well.)

Jin: "Do not worry, Xiao... we will find another way. But until we do, we need to retreat to your house, as this seems to be the only safe place for now... and about what she said... Asuka might be right, maybe there IS a way of how to control the Devil gene and maybe I simply was too focused on my Mishima relatives, that I completely left that out of my memory... but we have no proof for it..."

(Xiaoyu also remembers about Hwoarang and how he might do right now...)

Xiaoyu: "And I am also concerned about Hwo. Remember, how he told us about his and his master's dojo having a problem at the moment? I do hope, he makes it through..."

(Jin nods.)

Jin: "I hope so too..."

(Meanwhile in South Korea in the Taekwando-Dojo of Baek... a loud scream is heard, that comes from the dojo and it comically echoes through the entire town.)

Hwoarang: "SAY WHAT?! I HAVE TO MOVE TO WHERE?!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. A Not So Pleasant Surprise

**Chapter 8: A Not So Pleasant Surprise**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

Hwoarang: "SAY WHAT?! I HAVE TO MOVE TO WHERE?!"

Baek: "Hwoarang, behave yourself, immediately!"

Hwoarang: "Behave myself?! How do you expect me to do that, after telling me that I have to move to the very own place, that I always feared to visit, because of a very particular bitch there?!"

(During Jin's journey, after Hwoarang has received a call from his master, that he had to return to Korea, because of a very affective issue with the dojo, he told Jin, that he had to leave him and Xiaoyu alone on their journey, but he promised, that he will return to them, as soon as he could. However, he then found out, that Baek was in a financial crisis... many students have stopped going to his lessons, as they lost the time to do so, as they needed to find work, so that they can go and help their families. Only very few students remained, but this wasn't enough. And to make matters worse, Baek's dojo needed an entire renovation, as it was a very old dojo and he needs to give it an entire makeover, so that he can get more customers and again, he doesn't have enough money to pay all this anymore and since South Korea belongs to one of those countries in the world, that suffer the most of the after-war conditions, many jobs are either already taken there, or the rest of them are underpaid, so... he came to the conclusion, that he needs to send his own pupil over to Osaka and let one of his business partners, Mr. Kazama, give him a roof over his head for the meantime, so that he can go over and find a job in Osaka, as this part of Japan fairs better than Korea in terms of the financial status and the society. However, the reason, why Hwoarang was refusing to go there, was for a very specific one... Mr. Kazama's daughter, Asuka Kazama. Both of these fighters have a very bad history together... they first encountered during the fifth tournament and Hwo already regretted ever having encountered her. Asuka hates people with very apparent signs of arrogance and overconfidence to death and since Hwoarang is sadly in this category of types of people, the beating he received hurt all the more and he almost lost to her, if he hadn't pulled himself together in the last second. He may have won, but the humiliation he got from Asuka, has scarred him for life and to this day, he hasn't forgiven her yet, and this fact shows, by how he aggressively he reacts to his master's plan.)

Baek: "Listen, I understand your disagreement with my idea, but we don't have any options left at the moment and if I don't pay up in a few months, I might have to close the dojo and that's the very least thing we both need."

Hwoarang: "But why out of all places, why Osaka?!"

Baek: "Because for one thing, Osaka is the next near place to go to, meaning that the ticket there won't cost much. Secondly, Mr. Kazama and I are good friends and business partners and he knows about our financial situation. A few days ago, we met together in a café and we, alongside his wife, discussed for a while about this and he approved to my idea of you coming over, assisting him for a while AND looking for a job for yourself."

(He takes a sip out of his cup of green tea and looks back at his pupil.)

Baek: "And you must consider this... here in Korea, your chances of getting any jobs here, are much lower than over there in Japan, as they are in a much better condition than we are, so that's another factor of why me and Kazama decided to let you come over to him."

(Hwoarang lays back in his couch-chair and covers his face with his hands, before groaning.)

Hwoarang: "Do I really have to...? Because I am not feeling like going over there and letting myself get beaten up by her again... and by that, I mean his daughter..."

(Baek was puzzled, because he wasn't there, when the match between his pupil and Asuka began and ended.)

Baek: "Was it that bad, like you describe it?"

Hwoarang: "Bad? Just bad?! It was like I got my virginity taken away within the next few seconds in the fight, I am serious! It was like getting a huge butt-fuck from a rapist!"

Baek: "Oh, please stop exaggerating! It couldn't have been THAT bad."

Hwoarang: "Alright then, then let me tell you, how I "exaggerate"! The biggest insults, you could possibly give to a Taekwando user is: 1. Getting kicked in the crown jewels. 2. Getting his own meaningful black belt ripped off and getting everyone to see your pants. 3. Getting one of your feet snapped in half, in an unfair way, by getting stomped on the foot more than one time... shall I keep going?"

Baek: "Whoa, this does sound like she must have really hated your guts, if you got all three of these insults... but unfortunately, this won't change my decision... you might as well, just try to get along with her, while you are already at it in moving over."

Hwoarang: "I shall get along with her? With her?! Nah-ah, not in a million years, will you catch me trying that! You simply can't talk with her, it's futile! Once she is mad at you, she will show no mercy and will try anything to break you! I barely made it out of this fight, I am not shitting you!"

Baek: "I don't have a second choice, if I did, I would have already told you it, but I don't, so there!"

Hwoarang: "But I-"

(Baek then abruptly stands up and yells at him.)

Baek: "Hwoarang, that's enough! I've made my decision and that's that! No 'buts' anymore!"

(Hwoarang felt betrayed by his master, for letting him send him over to someone he simply despises for humiliating him on all fronts, however... on a second thought, he doesn't want to disappoint him, since this is dojo is more than just a dojo to him and Baek. It was his home. And he would do anything to make sure, everything is safe for the future... so in the end, even though he hates to do that, he gave in and let himself sink into the seat, while looking a little bit gloomy.)

Hwoarang: "Alright, fine... I will do it..."

(Baek then stops looking angry and instead softens up his eyes, as he understood Hwo's refusal to let himself get humiliated again, but the current cirumstances are against them, so he had to force himself to do all this. And since Baek was like a father to Hwo, he goes over and puts a hand on his pupil's shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up a little bit.)

Baek: "Hey... I know, times have become rough for both of us... but while we are in these times, we might as well get used to it... and to make it up to you... as soon as you get back home, you can see this as a reward, your room will also get renovated, so that you can restyle your own room later... because I know, that about the half of all things in the room, is stuff, that you won't need anymore, so... yes. What do you say?"

(This did cheer Hwoarang up a little bit. While it wasn't much, it was still a comforting and motivating thing to see his master actually caring about him, so he gladly accepted this kind gesture of his.)

Hwoarang: "Thanks master."

(But Baek then stops, before looking at his pupil in a confused way.)

Baek: "You sure? You don't really sound convinced... let me guess, is it because you'd rather like me to buy you a new motorcycle? Because like you said to me upon your arrival here, that it broke down and it's now nothing more than a huge, steaming pile of scrap-metal..."

(Hwoarang shakes his head, because he still remembers Jin's promise to him, that he will buy him a new motorcycle, as soon as possible, when the time comes, so then he decides to decline the other offer of his master.)

Hwoarang: "No, no, it's really OK, master. I really appreciate it, that you want to reconstruct my room. When I want to be honest, I will need to buy a motorcycle with my own money, but until then... I have time. Besides, going on foot or by taxi isn't so bad, I guess..."

(Baek then sighs and grins a little at his pupil.)

Baek: "Good, then it's settled, I suppose."

Hwoarang: "Yup. By the way, speaking of my flight to Osaka... when will my plane take off? At which time shall I set the timer of my alarm, so that I can wake up early enough to catch the train that leads to the airport?"

Baek: "10:30. Make sure, that your alarm it set about three hours earlier, so that you can still be in time for the train..."

(The young Korean then jumps up from his seat and stretches himself, while smiling a little.)

Hwoarang: "Alright then... shall we make dinner? I am feeling really empty in my bowels!"

(His master then begins to chuckle.)

Baek: "Yes, we shall. Prepare the rice. We're going to eat a new recipe of mine: My red curry! Super spicy, like you love it."

Hwoarang: "Awesome! I'm on my way!"

(Both then go to the kitchen to prepare their dinner...)

(Meanwhile in Osaka... Asuka's family has returned and right now, they are having dinner. Ms. Kawasaki was with them as guest and Asuka was really glad for her parents to be back home. Since she is a huge meat-lover, she ate like three entire bowls of beef-ramen, however... that happiness quickly faded away, once her father had to bring up something important.)

Mr. Kazama: "By the way... just so you know Asuka, we will get a guest tomorrow. He is going to live here for a while."

(That made Asuka raise her eye-brows in suspicion and look up at her father in curiousity.)

Asuka: "Someone will visit us...? And who is that?"

Mr. Kazama: "I think, you may know him already... it's Hwoarang."

(When Asuka heard that name... she smashes her chop-sticks against the table and slowly narrows her eyes in a threatening way.)

Asuka: "...What?! WHO will pay us a visit?! That red-haired buffoon?"

(Mrs. Kazama sighs in desperation and shakes her head, while looking at her husband with a sad face.)

Mrs. Kazama: "I told you... she WON'T like this message."

Asuka: "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?!"

Mr. Kazama: "Well, we just returned from a meeting with his master and he and I came to the conclusion... his pupil shall come over here and live at our place for a while, until the situation got better in his own home."

(Asuka scoffs and folds her arms, while looking away.)

Asuka: "How could you do this to me, dad?! You know all too well, that I hate this dude's freaking guts! His overconfidence simply drove me to madness and the way he attacked me, way just beyond unfair!"

(Mr. Kazama becomes annoyed himself, as he knows his daughter all too well and seeing her being this much of an hypocritical, made him go nuts himself.)

Mr. Kazama: "Oh yes, and YOU are any better, Ms. Know-it-all?! Now who is the hypocrite here! Whenever we fight, you are the same, thus you've only rarely won, because of this!"

Asuka: "And what about you!? Last time, you complained about your back hurting and then you beat me, as if I was just a child's plaything! And before you try to change my mind about this... Nope, nope, and nope, I will NOT allow him anywhere near here!"

Mr. Kazama: "Well, too bad for you, because it has been decided and I can't change it anymore! And don't speak in that tone with me, young lady! I am still your father and I am the boss here! You do as you are told! As long as Hwoarang is here, I want you to treat him with as much as friendliness as possible! You might as well try to become friends with him, while you're slowly getting used to his presence here."

Asuka: "Heh, YOU are the boss?! And this comes from someone, who can't even get one thing right, when it comes to-!"

Mrs. Kazama: "STOP IT, YOU TWO!"

(Asuka's mother stood up from her seat and spreads her arms to push her two loved ones away from one another, making them sit down in their seats again, while speaking in a calm and soothing tone.)

Mrs. Kazama: "First thing's first... Asuka, honey... don't you think, you shall take this situation to your advantage, and actually learn how to make friends? I understand your hostility towards strangers and any kind of troublemaker, but... don't you think, this behaviour of yours really gets out of hand? And don't even think, we have forgotten what happened between you and a few gang-members here around town... we heard, you very nearly killed one of them, if it wasn't for the police, stopping you from doing so... don't get us wrong, we still love you, despite the unnecessary quarrels you get yourself into, because we know, what your duty is, but... me and your father noticed over time, how at various times, whenever you return home, you're either completely silent, or depressed-looking, as if someone attacked you personally..."

(When she heard that, her eyes narrow even tighter, as she looks at her own mother in anger.)

Asuka: "So you're trying to say, that I am weak, but don't want to admit it, because I am your daughter?"

Mrs. Kazama: "No, it's the complete opposite actually... you are strong, both mentally and physically, but when it comes to you as a person... we see plenty of weaknesses, like you becoming mad at people, whenever they try to be really nice to you, as you often mistake it as either an assault, OR simply a bad joke, that was meant to tease you in a friendly way... don't misunderstand, we KNOW how you feel, because there really are a bunch of untrustworthy and shady people around here, especially in these times, however... when it comes to your school-mates, you behave towards them no different than how you behave during your duty as a vigilante... and because of this, people often tend to make fun of you, because they use this weakness of yours, and I am talking about the one, where you let yourself get easily provoked, to their advantage and will use ANYTHING out of context to expose you and that is exactly what these people want. They want a reaction from you and if you give them one, you basically just make fun of yourself... you see what I mean?"

(Asuka then looks down at her legs. All the while, Mr. Kazama stops being angry, as he realizes, that this is an important moment for the entire family and being mad at his own daughter, would make things only worse. So he wraps one arm around his wife and both smile at each other a little.)

Mrs. Kazama: "My dear, we won't deny, that you have this altitude partially from me and your father, we were no different from you back in our earlier days... as time passed by, we got to know, what it was like to be alone and sooner or later, we had to accept that fact and get over it, so that we can open ourselves to the ones, that can be called "friends". This is exactly how me and your father got to know one another... and while we are at the topic of lovers, shouldn't you actually start thinking about getting a boyfriend at some point...? Not saying, that you HAVE to, but I am just saying... we get it, you don't feel well anymore, because of Hanabi having left Osaka six years ago, but don't you think it's slowly time to get up and get into a fresh new start? Believe me... once you have friends around you, you might feel a lot less lonely than usual and you might even be able to get over Hanabi, how about that?"

(Then, to their surprise, Asuka slowly stands up from her seat on the ground and turns her back on her family, while still having her face focused on her feet. She then starts to speak in a deep and sad way, as if she feels betrayed...)

Asuka: "Mum... I hate to say it, but... I don't give a damn about having "friends", as everyone in this town simply pisses me off... and about that "boyfriend" topic... no thanks, I am the LEAST interested in being together with a sexist ass-face, that won't care for my feelings and will only like me for my body and nothing more... trust me when I say, that so far, nobody in this accursed town gives a shit about me and I only seem to attract dirty perverts, who will do anything out of context to molest me, so WHY exactly shall I care about them now? ...I curse the very day, that god gave me breasts at all... everyone can simply kiss my ass, for all I care... loyalty has no value for me anymore... sorry..."

(Then she slowly walks away, to head for her room, while her parents look at her leaving, with worried facial expressions... then they look at each other and lean their foreheads against one another, sighing loudly all the while in anxiety.)

Mrs. Kazama: "Well, I tried..."

Mr. Kazama: "It's no big deal, she will sooner or later learn it, I am sure of it... have we ever doubted her?"

Mrs. Kazama: "Hehehehehe, no, of course not... but I have to admit, it's kind of sad, to see her like that... you can't live on your own for the rest of your life, because then, it will become difficult to live in society... we got to learn that the hard way..."

Mr. Kazama: "True... seeing how many times, we forced to move from town to town... this might be one of those reasons, why Asuka behaves like that... because she never had the chance to open herself to anyone, as these bonds she could have formed, would have broken up to pieces, whenever we moved again... so this is partially also our fault..."

Mrs. Kazama: "No, no, this is nobody's fault, my dear... it was your job, that kept us moving from town to town... it was only one, that was paid well enough to make our lives more bearable... hard times ahead, so to speak..."

Mr. Kazama: "Indeed..."

(Both then sigh, as their looks sank towards their legs.)

Mr. Kazama: "He won't have to do this, but when the boy comes... maybe, he could teach our daughter a thing or two, what it means to have friends..."

Mrs. Kazama: "Then again, it's not really necessary, however... it could help... let's see, what will come out of this..."

(Meanwhile in Asuka's room... she has laid down on her bed and looks up at the ceiling in a blank way... but then, she grabs something from beneath her bed and raises it up to look at it... it was a photograph of Hanabi and herself, when they were together in Osaka High School... seeing her, kind of made Asuka's eyes tear up, as she deeply misses her old friend... but then, her eyes narrow and she puts the photo back under her bed... she then has to think of the very person, that kept her going... it was Lili... just thinking of her, made her really angry, as she really hated her cockiness, however... when she thought back, she then realizes, that Lili was the only one, out of all people, that actually treated her well, despite her being self-centered at various times... but then, she shook it off, because she still denies Lili... yet at the same time, she feels good, whenever she sees her... she almost felt like a friend to her, someone comfortable to be around with, despite their differences in personality... but that is exactly, what attracts Asuka's attention towards the french street fighter... she has traits, that she hasn't and this made her feel deadly jealous of her... she then scoffs and puts on her headphones to listen to some japanese Hip-Hop on her MP3 player...)

Asuka: "Heh, what a load of bullshit... who needs friends anyway?"

(Meanwhile with Hwoarang, back in South Korea...)

(It was early in the morning... Hwoarang has just packed his suitcase with all the stuff that he needed for the journey. Just before he left the dojo, he took one last clear glance at his old home... he has no idea, when he was going to return here again and that thought alone, brought him hidden anxiety... however, as usual, he hid his true feelings, in an attempt to show how much of a man he is...)

Baek: "So you're going..."

(The young Taekwando master turns around in surprise and sees a smiling Baek before himself. He tried to hide his sadness of leaving his very own home, but Baek saw through his facade and chuckles, as he slowly approaches his pupil...)

Baek: "Hehehe, come on, I can see that you really miss this place already and you didn't even leave yet... but do not worry, we will stay in contact with one another."

(Hwo then feels, how his master wraps his arms tightly around him and he speaks in a gentle tone.)

Baek: "I will call you, if there is any progress, alright?"

(Hwoarang then forces himself to return the hug of his master, as he hates to show his true feelings too much... which made Baek even more laugh.)

Baek: "It's alright, there is no reason to be ashamed of this! I am not toxic!"

(Hwo starts to laugh himself, before the two then wave at one another after they broke the hug and Hwo yells back from a high place, that lead down to a road to the station.)

Hwoarang: "WE WILL SEE US AGAIN SOON!"

Baek: "YES! HAVE FUN IN OSAKA!"

(Hwoarang nods and then, as soon as he went down the road, away from the top of the little hill, he disappeared from his master's eye-sight and made his way quickly to the train-station... he jumped into the train and made his way to the airport in Seoul. He then takes a look at his phone and nods... before he then starts to look a little anxious. But he stayed confident, for his master's sake... then he smirks.)

Hwoarang: "Whatever is going to happen next... if she wants a fight, I WILL fight... Osaka, here I come..."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. A Not So Pleasent Reunion

**Chapter 9: A Not So Pleasant Reunion**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

When Hwoarang arrived in Osaka, it was already pass midnight... the plane slowly descended, as when he looked below his point of view, he could see the entire city of Osaka in all its shiny glory... the plane then gradually came closer and closer to the ground, until it lands perfectly on that one line, still on the requested track... all the passengers started clapping, which was pretty typical after every successful landing of a plane... Hwo then looks at his watch, before then standing up from his seat to take his stuff from above him... while he did all this, his thoughts were now completely sunk in doubt about this whole trip...

"Well... this is it... I have successfully arrived in Osaka... however, I am now wondering, how it will go on from here... maybe, Asuka matured a little from last time... I hope, or else... I might as well prepare myself, shall she get the idea of trying to beat me into a bloody pulp again... but whatever the case, my first objective is to get to her..."

He nods to himself, before leaving the plane, alongside the other passengers and then heads to the terminal. As soon as he passed by, he goes to the one place, where he catches his three suitcases. In one, was his private stuff for the bathroom and in the other, was everything else. His clothes, sparring-clothes, Taekwando-gear, shoes, his PlayStation 3 for entertainment-purposes (with quality titles), some movies etc.. And in the third suitcase, was his electric guitar. When he was done, he goes to buy some coffee, to get a little waking-up-kick, before leaving the airport. But before he went to the exit, he received a call from Asuka's father, who said, that he is waiting for him at the last parking lot, which wasn't a really pleasant surprise for the Korean, since he expected him to be closer than that. When he was outside, to his shock, the frosting cold of the night literally slapped against his entire body, causing him to shiver, as he quickly puts his jacket over his leather-vest... but this only made him crosser still, when he thought about the fact, that Mr. Kazama wasn't closer to his current position.

"Oh my lord, it's so cold... why the hell, didn't he find a parking lot, that was way closer to where I'm standing right now?! Is that really necessary?!"

He growls, as he makes his way to the last parking lot platform, that was signed with the eight letter from the japanese alphabet (ku). Since there weren't any more, he immediately had to suspect, this is the one, that Mr. Kazama talked about. So he quickly went over to get to said platform... and once he got there, he was about to get into an elevator to get to the lowest floor first, but before he could do that, he was stopped by someone yelling out for him.

"Wait! Don't go!"

"Huh?!"

When Hwo turns around, he sees a middle-aged, japanese man, dressed up in a leather-jacket with black slackers and business-shoes. He was breathing heavily, obviously indicating, that he must have ran all the way here, because he missed something... but despite his worn out appearance, he was politely greeting the young Korean, through bowing.

"Hello, my boy! You must be Hwoarang, am I right?"

"Uh, yes! That's me! I'm Hwoarang and... wait, are you the man, that Baek made a contract with to bring me here to stay and live for a while?"

The old Kazama bows again and shows a genuine smile of gratitude.

"Yes, that is me. I'm Akira Kazama. The owner of the Kazama Dojo in Osaka. Baek Doo San told me a lot about you. I heard you don't really possess the best reputation, since you lived half your life-time on the streets, but ever since you joined the Korean Military, you became the most essential members of the army... and he also mentioned, you are a fair fighter, which is a plus."

He begins to chuckle a little, because he kind of wishes Hwoarang to be like his daughter, Asuka.

"I wish, she was more like you, the longer I have to glance at you..."

Hwo became confused, as he didn't know, who he referred to. But then it shadowed upon him, and his eyes wide a little in a nervous way.

"Who do you- wait, you're talking about your daughter, don't you? Asuka Kazama?"

"Oh yes! You're right!"

He then sighs a little in desperation, as he keeps on laughing lightly.

"And do not worry, I already know about the history between you two troublemakers. But after hearing a little more about your back-story, I kind of wish Asuka was more like you and I mean that. Heh, not that it's a bad thing, but it gets pretty irritating, really fast, especially considering the fact, that she is now nineteen... she hasn't matured one bit... and at the same time, I can't be mad at her, because I was just like her, during my youth..."

The Taekwando master would like to hear more about her, but he felt a cold breeze passing by, causing him to freeze his butt off again and he began to talk again, shivering at the same time.

"T-T-That's all nice so far, b-b-but could we please go now? I-I-I hate this cold weather and I sure as heck would love to get a w-w-warm bed."

"Hohoho, alright, we are going to keep talking on the way home then. Follow me. And hey, give me one of your suitcases, they must be heavy!"

Hwo starts chuckling, but since he hated to show weakness, he simply boasted by saying this.

"It's no problem really, I can carry all this!"

"Oh, please, I insist. This is the least thing I can do for you, for having made you wait for so long and go out looking for me."

He chuckled and gave the middle-old Kazama his guitar-bag and the rolling suitcase. However, when Akira sees the guitar-suitcase, he whistles in amazement.

"Wow, you're playing guitar?"

"Yeah, heh. And believe it or not, I also sometimes write my own songs. Whenever I am on my own, in silence, I just sit back... and let my imagination flow, by letting my fingers speak the music out for me..."

"Hoho, can I take a look at the guitar later? Just by looking at the form from outside... it must be a really unique specimen."

"Naaah, it's nothing special really, it's just your every-day-plain-ass rock-guitar. However... I DO plan on getting a really special one, something that suits my style. I haven't decided it yet, because I want to spend on cash, but once I do... you might even see me rock the stage... if there is even a stage, that is."

Both laugh a little, before throwing all the suitcases into the car, before getting in and finally making their way out of the platform to get back to Osaka. While they drive down the highway, they continue their conversation.

"So, my boy, where were we... oh, right! About Asuka and you..."

"Yeah, so... you said, you were just like her, when you were as old as she was."

"Yes, I remember. And I also remember this... let me tell you something about her personally... trust me... she may be aggressive and always the stubborn-headed one, that simply refuses to open her eavesdropper, when the situation calls for it, but, and I think you will need to know that, if you shall ever try to befriend her, she wasn't ALWAYS like this."

"Seriously? Wow, that settles it. Just kidding... but fun aside, really now? Are you implying, that she was a nice girl, before I got to know her?"

"Oh yes... sounds unbelievable, I know, and I won't blame you for thinking otherwise, but let me explain... haven't you once wondered, WHY she is constantly stuck in this bad-mood-cycle? Well, again, sounds crazy to you, but... it's because she is lonely. She has no friends and the last true friend she had, had to move out of town with her family, due to her father having been given a new job in a new town, and ever since she was gone, Asuka feels like one half of her heart is missing..."

However, this wasn't nearly enough to convince the young fighter, so he had to scoff at how childish Asuka behaves for her age. It simply boggles his mind, at how immature she is, to let the disappearance of ONE friend bother her this much, to the point of her treating others around her like dirt, because of her own issues.

"Pfft, after having witnessed her behaviour, it comes as no surprise to me, why she has no friends..."

"Please, don't be harsh with her... yes, she is difficult, we both know this, but believe me on that, when I say, once she becomes friends with someone, she is the most loyal person you could ever ask for. She won't ever leave your side, or betray you in any way. Like with me... only, heh, with me it's kind of a different case, because I am her father and that doesn't really count to her. But whatever the case, she isn't so bad, once you get to know her better..."

"Sorry, I am still not entirely convinced... maybe, she IS loyal, from YOUR point of view, but let me ask... how would this benefit either me or Asuka, if none of us trusts the one and the other? Loyalty is also in the same category as trust, and after having felt the pure humiliation of nearly losing to her, because of her having used semi-unfair methods to win, how am I supposed to trust HER? Who is to say, that she might do the same thing again, if I get the idea of maybe sparring with her? Hm?"

Akira sighs in a depressed way, but he stays true to his statement.

"Let me say this in advance... you don't have to do this, I won't force you to anything, that's just not how I work... however, think about it for a moment... it's guaranteed to make the situation much more simple and less stressful for everyone involved, once you two get along... nobody will lose in that case. I am not saying, you HAVE to do this, but I ADVISE you in doing this for me and hell, maybe even you might benefit from this."

Since the Korean had to admit, he wasn't so different from his daughter and that both made a terrible first impression with their behaviour among their first encounter, he could see at what Akira is getting at... so in the end, he gives in and jolts his head back and forth in shame, before letting out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"OK... you know what? I will give it a try, but don't expect too much from this. I won't be able to tell you, right off the bat, if this will go well or not... to do that, I first need to see your child again."

That statement brought a genuine, relieved smile to the Kazama's face.

"Hmhmhm, thank you. You really just took a heavy stone off of my old heart."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... let us pray to god, that she might show mercy and leave me be..."

"Be nice to her, that is the first and most essential thing you need to keep an eye on, when you interact with her."

"We'll see..."

"Well, here we are... end of the line."

Hwoarang looks up and realizes, they are already there, as his car is parked close to a house, that a dojo at the front, before the entrance. He felt a huge brick in his stomach, as he was still nervous to really face Asuka again, but as typical as he is, he hides his fears and actually mans up to try and overcome them.

"Here we go... wish me luck later, because I wanna see, if I can even sleep properly today..."

"Hohoho, don't worry, we won't make you sleep with her in the same room. We have a bedroom for guests and once we are there, make yourself comfortable as best as you could. Once the weekend is over, you know what you have to do..."

"Getting to my job and restart my training here... yeah, I am not allowed to slack on my workout."

"Neither is my daughter, hahaha! And who knows, maybe, only maybe, you'd like to train with her, once everything between you and her cools down a little."

"AGAIN. Let's see..."

Both step out of the car and then Akira helps Hwoarang with getting his stuff inside the house... as soon as they got inside, they were already awaited by his wife, who makes the impression, that she must have just stood up to greet them. As soon as she sees Hwoarang, she bows in a polite manner and he does it in return.

"Good morning, Hwoarang. My sincerest greetings to you."

"Likewise, Mrs. Kazama. The pleasure is all mine. Now then... would you please be so nice to show me the guest room?"

"Naturally. But before I forget, you don't really have to call me by my second name. If you prefer to call someone by the real name, feel free to call me Mitsuko. Mitsuko Kazama."

"Cool, thanks."

"Let me guide you, my boy."

With that being said, Mitsuko leads Hwoarang, with her husband following behind, helping to carry Hwo's bags to the room, to the place, where he shall sleep for the time being. As soon as he turned on the lights, he was quite surprised at how large the room was. There was a TV in the right corner, there was a futon on the floor, ready to sleep in, a little table in the middle and a japanese-style door on left side of the room, that leads to the backyard. Hwoarang nods in satisfaction, as he then puts his bag and his two suitcases right next to the table, ready to make himself comfortable here. Both Akira and Mitsuko had to grin, as they could sense Hwoarang's relief, to have a genuine room, that looks like it belongs to a hotel with enough space for two persons to sleep in. Akira's wife takes the word.

"And? Do you like it? Does it meet your expectations?"

"Oh no, I don't like it... I LOVE it, I am not kidding! To be frank, I expected a smaller room, but THIS goes BEYOND my expectations. Thank you a lot for that!"

"Hohoho, you're welcome, my boy. We wanted to make sure, that our special guest will feel like at home here, so as good as we tried, THIS is the best we can give."

"Again, thanks a-plenty!"

Hwoarang then covers his mouth, as he had to let out a loud yawning, obviously indicating, that he has become very sleepy.

"But now... could you please leave now? I want to get my stuff sorted out properly here, before I take a nap..."

The two Kazamas nod and then close the door behind them. As soon as they left the corridor, someone steps out of the shadows and waits for them to disappear behind the next corner... and when that happened, the shadow walks down the long way to Hwoarang's room... and while the Korean was busy with putting the stuff on the table, he hears someone's footsteps from behind him... and when he turned his head to the entrance-door, he nearly fell head-first into the bag... it was his rival, ever since the 5th tournament... Asuka Kazama. She is leaning against the left side of the door-way with her arms crossed, while having a suspicious look on her face. Then, with a blunt tone in her voice, she greets the Korean.

"Hello."

And he had no choice, but to greet her back the same way.

"Hello... what do you want?"

"Well, I could ask you the same thing... what do YOU want in my house?"

Obviously, Hwoarang's wishes have been crushed within the following words, that just came out of her mouth. He expected her to be a little more grown-up about their personal vendettas against one another, but she just showed, she STILL hasn't forgotten what happened between them and this made him let out a loud and desperate sigh.

"You still haven't forgiven the quarrel, right? God help me..."

"You bet your ass, I didn't forget anything from that!"

"Listen... I am totally not in the mood right now for this bullshit. I know-"

Before he could even finish talking, the girl already rudely interrupts him and the sudden change of pace in her tone shocked him.

"No, now YOU listen to ME! Normally, I would throw anyone, that doesn't belong to my family, out of the house, right away, but you know what, bastard?! You're SO damn lucky, that my parents are here to guard you, but just you wait... once they are no longer here, I am going to leave footprints all over your face, you hear me?!"

He desperately tries to keep his calm composure, but the way she talks, simply irritates him to death and the fact, that she hasn't matured one bit, pissed him off even more, but if he was still behaving like before the 6th tournament, where the war waged across the entire globe, he would have immediately attacked her... if he has learned anything from that time, it's to keep calm and sort things out, without getting violently physical. So he took a deep breath, calms his spirits and decides to go for a compromise. He raises his hands, as if trying to say in body-language, that he gives in and doesn't want any argument to flare up between them.

"...You know what? Go ahead then. The next time we two are alone, you can kick my ass as much as your as your heart feels like it. But to be fair, I will also get to fight you... a sparring match! Fair and square! No screwing around. Maybe that way, I might get to satisfy your hunger for my blood, so to speak..."

He closes his eyes, waiting for her answer and when he looked at her, he could sense a sparkle of determination in her eyes and when he sees her cracking her fists, while having a confident smirk on her lips, he could no longer hide his nervousness anymore. He thought to himself...

"Goodness, I hate it, when she grins like that... thinking back at how she did it, brrr, it sends me chills down my spine... who would have guessed a girl like her to be so creepy...!?"

His thoughts then get interrupted by Asuka speaking again, while that cocky grin still remains on her face.

"Oh, so you ORDERED a "butt-kicking of the century", huh? That is new, hearing this coming from a thug's mouth, wanting to get his own ass handed to him by decision! Fine, I'll be ALL too happy to oblige, buddy! You want it... you got it!"

She then stops grinning and turns around to leave the room, but before she goes, she turns around and glares at him, while speaking in a serious tone.

"And just so you know it... I DON'T go easy on those, who fought me before, and made it through, telling about it. You better cover your most precious areas, because tomorrow... your ass is mine. Now go and get some sleep, because... you WILL need it, before I kick you into the next week. Again, tomorrow, 7 A.M., in the Kazama Dojo... I will be waiting there and if you don't show up... you'll see."

And with that, she leaves the room and closes the door behind her. Now the male Korean reflects on what just happened. He is going to fight her the next day and she wasn't even hesitating. Again, he tries to remain calm and then, after having finished with setting up everything in the room, he then turns off the lights, takes his phone and lays down on the futon, before pulling the blanket over his body... but he couldn't sleep yet, because what Asuka is still bothering him... he had to admit, that he was a little scared... what if she injures him so bad, that he might become a casualty, through mere physical violence? But he knew, that there was no way out of this anymore. It had been settled and since he was a man of promise and HATES to decline challenges in general, it sort of motivates him in a good way. He couldn't deny that. It felt so satisfying to be genuinely challenged again, after having faced the real deal, that is Jin. Not to mention, he was also curious, at how much this girl has improved over the past two years. Did she learn new techniques? Did she become more agile? Has her physical strength also become greater? All these questions will get an answer... tomorrow. He then slowly showed a little smile, as his heart was also bumping with excitement...

"Heh... I don't know why... but getting challenged by her this way... makes me feel... alive... for some reason... more questions than answers however... but we'll see how this will work out..."

He then puts on his earphones, turns on some tunes and then lays his head back into the cuddly pillow, before eventually falling asleep... with a little grin on his face.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. Hwoarang VS Asuka

**Chapter 10: Hwoarang VS. Asuka**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

Normally by now, it should be dawn, but since the winter season is on its way, the days have become shorter, meaning the day will take longer to arrive, even in the earlier hours of the morning... unfortunately, it also meant, Hwoarang's hours slowly run out. He found no sleep, as he was way too excited to finally face Asuka in a match again, after such a long time and because he couldn't find enough peace in his soul to finally close his eyes and fall into slumber, he decided to go outside into the backyard to warm himself up... he didn't care, if he was tired or not, as the adrenaline rush in his veins, kept him on going to swing the best kicks he had. He was really proud of his Taekwando skills and he wouldn't ever want something else as his personal style of fighting. Thugs call this cheap, but for him... it's a treasure, that he guards with his life. As he keeps on swinging kicks all over the place, he had to think to himself.

"Now I can see how pigs feel, before they get sent out to be physically violated harder than life ever could and then getting turned into fake food for our stomachs. Why am I so nervous? I know, she would never have the balls to turn me into a casualty... if she had any balls that is, but why is it that I STILL feel like my life is on the line? Is it the mere excitement or the stupid curiosity of mine, of seeing how this will go?"

He keeps on kicking through the area, until eventually then smashing his entire foot into the trunk of a tree, that was right next to him. His breathing became heavy, as cold sweat slowly ran down from both sides of his face.

"Either way, she doesn't seem to want to talk this out and rather let her fists do the talking... well, fine with me then, because I will make sure, that she wouldn't ever dare trying to mess with me again. That one match will teach her!"

The Korean then let out a frustrated sigh, before returning inside his room to look at the clock. It was 6 A.M.. Only one more hour to go... he shrugged it off and laid back down on his futon to relax for a little bit, to put his mind at peace, even if time was not really on his side anymore. He didn't realize, that all this training, made his eyelids really heavy and before he knew it, he finds himself falling into a slumber...

45 minutes later...

Hwoarang opened his eyes, before starting to groan loudly in a laid-back way and letting out a loud yawn, as he feels around to look for his phone... he opened the display and then, as soon as he saw what time it was, his eyes, within one brief instance, shot wide open in shock, immediately making him forget to be tired. He jumped up out of his futon and looks for his sports-bag.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, where is it?!"

To his luck, he found the bag and then, without wasting any thoughts on cleaning himself first, he quickly left his room behind and as soon as he came into the Foyer, he realized something.

"Wait, didn't she mention, that we will only fight, when her parents aren't at home anymore?"

He looked around the corner to see Akira and Mitsuko having breakfast and both are dressed, as if they get ready to go to an important meeting... he nodded to himself.

"Then it would be better, not only this time and never again, if I simply fight Asuka in secret... I don't want them to worry needlessly about me. I appreciate Akira's concerns about me getting into unnecessary quarrels with his daughter... but if she is really keen on challenging me... I can never say never."

He came to an agreement with himself, before then leaving the Foyer as quietly and carefully as possible, to get to the entrance of the dojo... after he softly closes the door behind him, he slowly walks to the entrance of the dojo... he shifts the door slowly open, just enough, so that he can peek through a slit in the door... the dojo was empty. Nobody was there, but Hwoarang knew... she would eventually show up, as soon as he has gotten himself prepared for this. So he took the opportunity and quickly enters... he gets into the locker room for males and then quickly changes into his usual Taekwando-Training-gear. As he was done, he goes around the dojo take a proper look at the dojo's architecture itself. It had a really eye-catching style to it, he couldn't deny that... but the setup is completely standard for a japanese dojo. Stands with wooden swords, three wooden closets, that contain standard white Karate suits and there are doors, which lead either back to the house, to other parts of the dojo or the backyard... he was quite impressed though, because this is the first time for him, finally viewing through a japanese dojo. But this didn't interrupt his thoughts on where his new rival could be at the moment, as she hasn't shown up yet... he looks at the clock, that was hanging over the entrance into the backyard and he sees, that it's exactly 7 A.M. now... and as soon as he realized this, he hears footsteps from behind... he quickly gets into a Taekwando stance, while taking over the one half of the hall to face the opposite side AND the one, whoever was coming in... and he soon saw, it was Asuka... she didn't pay much attention to him, as she was still focused on putting on a white band around her head and soon as she was done, she faces her personal arch-rival with a glare, filled with anticipation...

"You arrived... good, good... at least, you know when to be on time, unlike other certain failures I've encountered so far..."

"Hey-hey, who are you calling a punk, huh? YOU came up with this idea, not me."

To answer his, at least to her, obnoxious remark, she tightens her glare even more, before starting to warm up, by stretching her legs and arms. But Hwoarang took this to offense this time, as he already has grown tired of her disrespectfulness towards him, as he starts warming up himself, the same way she does.

"You can keep being quiet, after I am finally through with you today, because just trust me... I WILL make sure to shut you up for good."

Asuka still keeps on ignoring his attempt of intimidating her. And just listening to him behaving THIS full of himself, made her ever-growing rage flare with the intensity of a thousand exploding stars inside her heart. She could sense, that Hwoarang was nervous, as she knew behaviours like this all too well, as it was common among all those, who she used to beat up, if they were to do something completely against the law... acting all tough to cover it up, just to hide the uneasiness, written in their eyes. And then... both get into their stances, as they stared at each other, as if they were performing a confrontation scene in a wild western movie and just then, Asuka spoke it out... with a slight hint of anger, reflecting in her eyes.

"Enough talk... come and get me, punk...!"

"As you wish!"

Both then slowly start running at one another, as they jump and their first attacks clash with Hwoarang kicking her against the side of her head, while she counters that kick of his with her very own jab, coming from the side of wrist. Both then do a back flip, before jumping back forward to bombard one another with everything they had and each hit gets either blocked or countered. At one point, either Hwoarang or Asuka got one another cornered, getting forced to use the wall behind them to run up and then jump back off of it to hit the other on the head with either a kick or a jab. But none of them, not even after having already managed to hurt one another a few times, when they got careless, dared to show any hints of exhaustion whatsoever and this was the main motivator for the two, to keep on attacking the one and the other. After blocking another kick of the Korean, he had to let out a confident smirk, while putting his hands behind the back of his somewhat sweaty head in a relaxed manner, as if showing, that he had another plan in the back of his mind.

"You surely must have taken your defeat back then real seriously, if you attack me with such agility and strength, combined into one... gotta say, I am stunned, but... who said, I let you win this time, huh? Take a look, because you MIGHT learn something new from me!"

"Huh?!"

"Behind you!"

Just when he said that out loud, Asuka finds herself getting immediately brought to her knees, because of Hwoarang having formed one of his kicks into a hook-like movement to nail the Japanese from the back of her head, just with enough strength, to force her in losing her balance and then almost fall face-first before Hwo's feet, but the latter wasn't finished with her yet, as he then sweeps one of his legs, with such incredible and unpredictable velocity, across the floor, which landed a hit across her face, making her bounce back up a little into mid-air with the Korean finishing that attack, by sweeping with the same foot upwards, hitting the other side of her head and making her fall back a few metres from himself. That landing forced the Taekwando master to crack out a light laugh, as he loved to see her face the floor first.

"Sorry to break it down to you, but strength and anger-filled attacks won't be nearly enough to even land a scratch on me. And here is a thing, you are not the only one, that got floored by this new favourite trick of mine... haha, you should have seen their faces, it was so priceless and seeing you now like this, wow, I think my time here won't be so bad after all, if all it takes to tame you, is simply beating you down a little like that."

Hwo knew, she was going to get really mad at him for acting so high and mighty, but she humiliated him first, so he felt no remorse for doing this, as it was justified, from his point of view. Up until now, fighting with her was really tedious, although he CAN'T deny, that he is having plenty of fun, taking her on like this... but his confidence, within one second of carelessness, quickly disappears, as he hears a loud growling, coming from Asuka...

"You really piss me off, you know that...?! YOU PISS ME OFF!"

"Uh oh, here it comes..."

The female Japanese slowly gets back up and even if she was a little distance away from himself... he could clearly see the flaring rage in her eyes. She is simply seeing red, as it was typical for Asuka to get pissed off, after somebody made a fool out of her, whoever it was who did it.

"I am sick of this game! You want some blood, I will SO give you some blood, BECAUSE YOU JUST PISSED OFF THE WRONG GIRL!"

Hwoarang should actually feel intimidated by this, but just to see her getting angry at him for getting hit like this once, made him remember of all these other baddies he had to beat up in the past and it ALWAYS brought satisfaction to his mind, to see people becoming mad at him, just because they suck at fighting in general... over time however, he soon got to understand, that pissing people off, wasn't always the best option to pick, as it only made things way more complicated than necessary, but when it comes to challenges, he will do anything to spice things up. However, at the same time, he had to admit, maybe he did went a little too far with her, since he had to keep in mind, that NOBODY deserves humiliation like this... yet at the same time, he is also excited to finally see her taking this fight way more seriously than before. So he maintains his confident smirk and returns into his typical Taekwando stance."

"Now that's more like it! Show me what you've got, I am all open for you!"

"You better watch what you wish for, my friend!"

With that being said, she jumps forward in a flash and she attempts to first knee the Korean in the gut, but he blocked it in time with lowering his crossed arms to his mid-section, but despite the blocking, he still felt the force of her knee pressing against his arms. He then quickly blocks a coming side-jab of hers from the right and yet again, the force of her hit, caused him to tumble a little, since it felt like, as if her attacks are now so powerful, it makes blocking practically useless, as they break through his defence with no problems whatsoever now. After she then managed to completely stun him with a roundhouse kick into the right side of his body, he clutches the part where she landed a hit and groaned loudly in pain and curses. This made Asuka feel much better, as she then takes the chance for an all-out beat-down.

"Shit... how did she...?!"

"As I said, watch what you spill, buddy, 'cause here I come!"

(BGM for the situation: Dragon's Gate)

Just as she said that with a confident smirk on her lips, she then brutally elbows Hwoarang into the air with 'Demon Slayer', before then beginning to keep him in the air by upper-cutting him left and right and then sending him straight-out flying by first jabbing him and then jumping high up in the air to kick him away in a sharp hook, making him land face-first on the floor hard. She was far from finished however, as she then starts spinning around two times, before then ducking down and beginning to hit him, while he was still on the ground, completely defenceless, with two 'Leg Cutters', before then repeating the whole juggling process, by doing her 'White Heron Dance', which succeeded in its purpose. After she sent him flying away from her once again, she then does a real quick 'Sacred Blade' to hit Hwoarang one more time, while he was laying on the floor, before she then performs one final juggle. She kicks him back up into mid-air with both legs, before jabbing him left and right, before then jumping up at about his current altitude to then smash him, full force, with both hands back to the ground. That impact, made Hwo gag out a loud and painful groan, but all what this brought to the female Japanese, was pure satisfaction. She then presses her foot against his back, while then retaining that confident, yet exhausted grin on her lips.

"Learned your lesson yet...? For such a punk like you... you sure took more than you can probably chew... guess, I should have held back a little... but you know what, I shit on that... because YOU deserved this... for all the bullshit you put ME through... view it as whatever you see fit for yourself, but... as for me, you better think twice... before messing with me... that stunt you pulled won't work twice, as I beat you to it...!"

The Korean was in actual pain... he was used to this kind of pain, however this one, felt different... he doesn't feel any accomplishment, as if he pulled that cockiness off on her for nothing. Instead, he felt genuinely angry with her, as that cockiness of hers has a cold harshness to it with no hint of mercy at all. It felt like, he was fighting for his life, that was how powerful her attacks were. She fought without hesitation and her heart felt ice-cold... there was no genuine passion behind her attacks and it felt more like she was fighting for her life as well... Hwoarang then gawked out in a somewhat angry tone...

"You know what, you bitch...?! If you can't fight... without respecting your opponent... then you are... no better than me... in ANY way!"

The girl simply scoffed in a highly arrogant way, as she then smashes her foot into Hwo's back again, forcing him to stay back down. The tone in her voice, made Hwoarang's skin crawl a little, as her sarcastic words felt cold and soulless and that was something, he didn't feel when he fought her for the first time in the fifth tournament... this wasn't the same girl, that he encountered once in the past, anymore...

"Oh, respect, huh? Such loud words from someone, who fought with no honour himself... let me you in on a secret then... you make me physically sick. And just like I warned you... nobody messes with me... and gets away unharmed."

"Just... what is the big deal...? From what I can gather here... let me get this straight... You do enjoy... watching people... being in pain...?! Just... what kind of issues do you have in your brain...?"

He groaned even more in pain, as her foot starts to honestly hurt and irritate him at the same time.

"Well, guess what? I could ask you the same thing... what kind of issues do YOU have... to try and take someone on, like me? You know, that I am way too strong for you... yet you still act oh-so-high-and-mighty... when you can't even face the facts here... you are just a bad loser, that's all... and if you ask me, I still can't wrap my head around the fact, how YOU... can still be so full of yourself, after that massive beating I just delivered for you...!"

"Speak for yourself... you pathetic piece of shit...!"

Asuka jumped a little from that sudden change of tone in Hwo's voice.

"Huh? What was that?"

Never before has the Taekwando fighter felt so dismayed in his entire life... he thought, his arrogance was unmatched, when he compared that said flaw of his with the one he had in the past. He admits, he was equally as guilty as her, but at least HE tried to maintain his cool, until the moment calls for war. Not to mention, even though, he gets mad real easy, he at least thinks twice, before actually attacking head on without any sort of plan in the back of mind... the war between the Mishimas forced him to learn all this the hard way... however... when he looks at this girl, being arrogant AND cruel at the same time, showing little to no respect towards him, he simply sees his younger, less mature and egotistic self from the past... and this angers him so much, to the point where he steams out of rage. He then suddenly grabs her foot, that was still pressed against his back, and starts squeezing it, while speaking in a really upset and angry tone.

"You know what...? Watching you SERIOUSLY irritates me...! I have no clue, what kind of life you must have had to behave this bitter towards every kind of person that lives around you, even the ones, that are part of your family...! I bet, your life must have been probably SO flawless, you must have gotten so bored... to the point where you start inflicting pain on others for your own pleasure's sake...! And you know, what's REALLY sad...? You STILL haven't gotten over our stupid little quarrel in the past, which makes me respect you even less...! I have never seen such immaturity and ungratefulness and after all this shit that I had to witness with my own eyes, THAT says something...!"

The girl feels insulted by this "threat" of his and she then starts kicking his hand, that was still tightly wrapped around her ankle, but he ignored the pain, as the rage, that was boiling inside him, made him nearly invincible for any inflicted pain he received so far from her.

"You let the disappearance of a good friend of yours get to you way too much and this results in you, making the impression to me, that you NEVER even tried to move on...

which DOESN'T help your case! You can hate me all you want, I am totally fine with it, I don't give a shit... but I WON'T stand for this kind of treatment of yours, EVER! Believe it or not, just like you, I NEVER asked for any of this, yet you refuse to listen and STILL brag on about anything, that no longer belongs in the present! And I think it's about time..."

His rage then reached a feverish tone, as his entire face turned red and the grip around her foot tightens even more, to the point of her having to scream in agony.

"...I MADE YOU MOVE ON!"

(BGM for the situation: Shin Bodukai 2 Theme)

After the Korean said that, he lets go of Asuka's foot and quickly jumps back onto his feet and kicks the dazed female Japanese into her hip, hard enough, so that she is left there, being completely defenceless for one brief moment. But that wasn't the only thing, that made her lose her focus... the very fact, that Hwoarang knew about Hanabi, how she moved away from her hometown AND how her life evolved over the past years, gave her a big shocker inside her heart... and that's not all. Nobody has ever dared to speak that way to her, but the worst thing about this, is that Hwoarang's words actually reached her in a way... which broke her heart a tiny bit... but her heart-wrenching thoughts were rudely interrupted by Hwo kicking her up into the air and that one kick was powerful enough to make her spit blood, while she was still in mid-air. Hwoarang then starts punching her left and right, before jumping up to kick her away from himself. As soon as she landed on the ground hard, Hwo dashes forward to catapult her back up with his infamous 'Firecracker' and while she was still in the air, he starts kicking her two times from the left, before then smashing her back onto the floor with a 'Chainsaw Heel' and he was far from done with her. Hwoarang heard her gag out in pain...

"Ugh... huurgh..."

But after everything that happened between the two, he refuses to stop, as he knew, she needed to learn this lesson, as he then goes over and then sends her back flying again, only higher this time with a 'Sky Rocket' and he continues this combo with him jumping high in the air, at about her altitude, before bombarding her with three kicks that he calls 'Hunting Hawk' and he even put more power in that last and third kick, that made her face the floor once more, but instead of getting smashed against the wooden ground, she gets bounced back, giving more opportunity for the Korean to attack, as he then starts spinning around and while she was still above the ground, he pulls off his famous 'Triple Thrust' on her, which includes hitting her two times with roundhouse kicks from the right in a spinning motion, before ending it all with one last roundhouse, that sent her flying against the wall, where she crashes against, full force... these last two combos were too much for her this time, as she then falls on her knees, while clutching a bleeding wound, that was on her right cheek... but despite his apparent success in beating her down, with him still standing, thus being the winner of this match, his stamina was completely gone as well, as he fell on one knee... but he still had enough energy to go over to her and apologize to her for beating her up like this... he regretted having done this, but he knows, that it was for the best... he stops before her and then offers her a hand to help her stand back up as sign of respect. And when she looks up, she stares at his stretched out hand for a few silent moments... until she then looks away to hide her trembling lips, as she softly pushes his hand away, declining his offer, which surprised him... but then his coming questions shall all get answered with another question, that Asuka had to ask, while trying desperately not reveal her emotional dilemma...

"Dad told you everything... didn't he...? That my dear Hanabi... is no longer here by my side..."

"Uh, yes he did... what about it?"

"Hehe... you know what? Don't believe what he says, hehe... he is messed up... I am not alone... I don't need anybody...! Hehehe..."

With her being now suddenly emotionally unstable, she suddenly starts chuckling, as if trying to hide from the facts, that she is weak... she simply refuses to accept that fact AND that Hanabi is no longer with her. That sudden change of behaviour shocked Hwoarang greatly, as he now believes, she has become insane... but within the corner of her eyes, he sees one tear running down her cheek... and he knew immediately, that he completely overdid it with her... he kneels down to her with regret being reflected in his eyes...

"Hey, uh... sorry, I didn't know... she meant THIS much to you... maybe I should have been a little more sensitive about this..."

She then asks in a serious tone, while still looking away from him.

"Are you done...?"

"Huh?"

"I said... are you done...?! You are the winner... I lost... so leave me alone... I don't want anything to do with you... JUST GO!"

"What, no! Have you gone mad? How do you expect me to leave you behind IN THIS STATE OF MIND?! I know, I overdid it and I am terribly sorry! If it cheers you up, then I-"

She then shrieks out, while standing abruptly up, not watching where her foot stepped...

"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALO-"

...she begins to tumble, quickly losing her balance...

"-OOOONE?!"

"Wha-?!"

...and she falls directly on Hwoarang, making full body-contact with him with their faces now being very few inches away from one another, which forced the two to blush a deep shade of red. This made the entire moment even more awkward for the two. And that only scratched the surface... Before, Hwoarang never actually gave it much thought, but... now being this physically close to her and after taking a closer and clearer look at her, he had to admit one thing and that simply can't be denied... despite her brash and obnoxious nature, her physical appearance however, is a big eye-catcher... a slender figure, smooth, cream-coloured skin, short brunette hair and a cute, yet rough-looking face... aspects, that the Korean now quickly starts to grow fond of in a matter of seconds, aside from the embarrassment he felt in this very moment... also... he then realized, that her breast-size must be really huge, as her big melons get pressed against his chest, as if they were two huge super-comfy pillows, which made his heart race even faster than before... and he wasn't the only, that was growing fond of the one and the other's physical build-up... his muscles felt quite nice and warm under the female Japanese's figure and she actually ENJOYED this feeling for a brief instance... before remembering the behaviour of all these highly sexual predators, that are called sexists... she then gasps and shrieks, before slapping Hwoarang across the face, making him come back to reality, but then rub his chin.

"Ow!"

"Who do you think you are, you perv?!"

"What?! Me, pervert?! YOU fell on me, not me on you!"

The two then start arguing senselessly in a comical way about this moment for a few moments, before then eventually cooling down and come back to their senses. Asuka then remembers what happened a few minutes ago and quickly changed from confused to serious with a slight hint of anger... she folds her arms together and narrows her look, as she reflected on what happened between the two... on one side, she was feeling quite satisfied on the inside, as it felt so good to know, they actually fought fair and square this time, as, much like Hwoarang, she loves fair challenges... but on the other hand, she was still confused about what to make of his words... but with her having returned to her usual self again, she quickly dismissed it to think about it later, when she was on her own. She nods and fixes her hair a little, as it was a sweaty mess.

"...You lucky bastard. I have to hand my respects to you for once and I STILL can't believe I say this, but... you win. Take this victory as anything you see fit... we are done. Have a good one."

And with that blunt answer, she leaves the hall, but Hwoarang stopped her in time, as he wanted to say something about what happened before...

"Wait... before I forget... I want to apologize for having been so harsh with my words on this very specific topic from before... I didn't mean to offend you like this..."

When he looked at her face, he could have sworn, that there was a very thin grin to it... no cruelty, no cold intention was behind it, it felt like a genuine smile, that made his heart pump normally again... but since it was typical for Asuka to hide her weaknesses, she doesn't entirely show, how she really felt about this apology. Yet on the inside... she was surprised... he apologized for something...

"Apology accepted."

"And one more thing... I know, this sounds weird coming from ME, but... I gotta say, despite this argument, this fight was rather fun! When we are on our own again..."

"Yes."

There was another tiny grin, he could have sworn, he saw it and after she said that, Hwoarang's coming question was already answered. He wanted to fight her again sometime and she agreed on that... it was fun to her as well... but she maintains her bluntness and leaves with one last message.

"Hit the showers."

"Alright then... so we are good?"

"We'll see..."

And after that, the two hit the showers to clean themselves up and while Asuka was letting the water drip down her now wet, nude body... she had to reflect on Hwoarang's words again... letting one friend's disappearance get to her... still not having forgotten what happened between herself and the Korean... being cruel for her own sake... she couldn't hide it anymore... whatever Hwo said, there was no real bad intention behind it, as all he did, was made her see some sense, yet she completely ignored the facts up until now and even ignored her parents' advice... it all came back to her, as she reminisces on how she used to be...

"I think... these coming months will be the toughest months of my life..."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	11. How To Make It Worthwhile

**Chapter 11: How To Make It Worthwhile**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

After a really tough confrontation with Asuka, the young Korean, Hwoarang has decided to chill for the rest of the weekend and to his surprise... Asuka didn't start bothering him in any way, since that one beating she received the other day, must have tamed her vendetta against him, which relieved his heart, big time... so the rest of the week went by without any disturbances or anything else, that is considered bad... and on the following Monday morning... two days earlier, Hwoarang told Akira, what kind of job, he already made up his mind about to get for the time-being and the job is mainly about repairing vehicles of all kind and also gear them up, if it's wished by the costumer. Yes, a mechanic. And since Hwoarang is very familiar with the topic of vehicles and how to deal with them, shall they get any damage, may it be on the outside or inside, he can repair anything, that is mechanical AND a vehicle. And to his fortune, the next near workshop wasn't so far away from where he currently resides in and said workshop, that goes by the name "Car Paradise", didn't make a shabby first impression, when you look at the sign and the reputation it has... however, all this shall become for naught, as a bad surprise will await the Korean, once he sets foot into "Car Paradise"... what he didn't pay much attention to, was the fact, that aside from South Korea, other countries in the world, especially including Japan, are currently suffering the same fate of increased criminality rates, caused by the after-war-effects of the battle between the Mishimas... and once everything is, he shall encounter some really unpleasant surprises along the way...

Three middle-aged workmen, that are currently working on a car, that got into a crash with another traffic candidate, are whispering to one another, while replacing the bend car-front, in a really annoyed tone.

"Have you heard the news? A newcomer is on its way here. I don't know much, but what I do know, is that having one more workman here is too much for us to handle."

"Yes. Our boss may have good intentions, but whoever it is, that comes anywhere near our work, we shall beat him or her out of there. It would be better, than having to deal with another mouthful like that!"

"Come on, you two, don't be ridiculous! The new grasshopper hasn't even shown his face yet and you two are already insulting him behind his or her back. Maybe that newcomer wasn't able to find any other job and he or her just happens to run across our workshop, that has enough space for more employees... you know, that I won't blame anybody for choosing to come to us, after all... this town is already down the shitter, so it wouldn't make any difference for us..."

Then the workman with the blue overall, that started this conversation, begins to growl as he raises the raspy tone of his voice to scold the third man.

"Kenji, be quiet, alright?! You sure realize, if there are more employees, this means less cash for us three and right now, our situation hasn't gotten better, ever since this accursed war has ended and to be honest, NOBODY asked for your advice, so shut your trap!"

Kenji shook his head and folds his arms, while pulling his hat off of the top of his head.

"Then why did you even bother bringing that topic up, huh?! Am I the ape for your personal entertainment purposes?! Huh, Kazushi?!"

As the two fully grown workmen continue their heated argument in an almost comical way, the second of the three workmen, that goes by the name of had to let out a really frustrated sigh, as he scratches the back of his bald head.

"When will these two buffoons ever grow some balls? Am I living in a circus?"

"We heard that!"

"And I don't care!"

The three men growl at one another, attempting to then keep on bombarding one another with insults, but then... silence abruptly came among the three workmen, when they saw the man of the day entering the workshop... Hwoarang, accompanied by Akira Kazama. You should know, that the Korean really hates wearing clothes, that only very fine people wear, like smokings with fine slackers and bowties and so on and so on... but Hwo knew, if he wants to give a really good first impression, he needs to show, how much of good manners and style he has and the clothing is the first step and there he was, entering the dirty and quite messy garage, wearing a white buttoned shirt, black slackers with suitable shoes and having styled up hair... and by that, I mean he completely combed his hair flat, instead of letting hang like normally. You could clearly see, he completely despises the way he looks, but as mature as he tries to be about this, he knew, that if he screws this up, then looking for another job would be even more of a tedious mess, so he gave in and cut his loss... he greeted the three workmen in a friendly way, but for some reason, they simply stood there, dazed and confused, which even confused him. None of the three responded to his first attempt of trying to befriend the three and this gave him a strange feeling of uneasiness, as he could sense... their was a hint of a mistrust written in their eyes... but then, the chief came into the garage and asked for Hwoarang and Akira to come into his office. He waved goodbye to the three unfriendly employees, to which they didn't respond either by the way, and quickly follows the head of the little company into his bureau. And as soon as he left the garage, the three men then get back together and look quite surprised at who is to get the fourth place in their ranks... but they weren't surprised in a positive way, no. In fact, they were even more angry than before, but then... Kazushi got an idea. Since it was obvious, Hwoarang didn't quite make the impression of being familiar with the material here, and how could he, if it's his first time being here, they came to an agreement.

"Because of this little baby-face still being a rookie, let us take advantage of that and give him the hardest jobs to begin with, so that chances become higher of him getting fired! That will be just the ticket to get rid of this new nuisance without any issues waiting ahead of us!"

"But you forget one thing... our boss will have an eye on the boy, as long as he is here and who knows, how long he might take to then assure, the young one is ready enough to take care of himself in this business..."

Kazushi then starts smirking, as he lets his fingers clap together.

"That's why... we will ask him to let US have the responsibility for the newcomer! We have been working here for so long, our mastermind must have won so much faith in us, to the point where he must see us as his distant relatives... as long as we can guarantee him, that this cock-face will be safe under our wings, nothing can possibly go wrong with my plan!"

His gaze then falls on Kenji, who apparently is still not pleased with how he wants to treat Hwoarang, but Kazushi understood and so he puts his hand on his shoulder and had to show a confident grin of pride on his lips.

"I know, this seems cruel to you... but think about our families... what will they have, if we get less cash than actually requested? We feed them and assure the best for them... do you really want your wife and child to starve, because of your winnings being cut in half?"

"No... but..."

"Come on, do it for us and your loved one's sake."

Kenji was silent for a few moments, before then exhaling in a really frustrated and worn-out way and then scratching the top of his head again.

"Fine, whatever... do as you please then... but if you dare to put a scratch on this kid, I am going to tell our boss, that you were just using his trust in us all along, did I make myself clear?"

That blunt response made Kazushi sweat in a nervous manner, but he quickly dismissed it and starts grinning lightly.

"Trust me, my friend... you won't regret anything."

"I won't be so sure about THAT though..."

Then, Kenji looks at his watch, before then taking off his tool-belt and then his gloves, as his work shift is done for today and he shall return this Friday.

"Well boys, I am outta here... see you this Friday."

Then Kazushi and the second workman, that goes by the name Ugaki, then wave their best friend goodbye.

"See ya!"

After that, they returned to work on the car, they are supposed to fix, for the costumer to later pick up... and after a half hour, Hwoarang and Akira leave the office and both looked quite satisfied with their efforts of getting a job for the Korean, who was the most excited for the next day, as his first day at work starts tomorrow.

"Although I will predict this to become tedious later on, I am still so glad I finally got this job! And I was beginning to have doubts about all this for a second there!"

Even Akira was relieved with all this having gone so well for Hwo and so he proudly taps the young Korean on the shoulder.

"Your days at the military have just paid off today, sonny."

"You bet your ass they did! I just can't describe with words right now, how relieved I am feeling!"

But his good mood shall soon darken, as the two workmen approached Hwoarang, while having a serious look, written on their faces, which alarmed Hwo immediately.

"Listen, you green hopper... just so you know, we aren't the welfare here! As soon as you get here tomorrow, we want you to show us, what you are made of to prove your worth in this biz."

"Just what he said. You may be lucky to get the job here at last, but this is only stretching it... prepare for the harshness of life, that will await you here, the next day... we will be waiting and don't you dare being late."

The two then stare at Hwo for a few minutes, before then slowly walking backwards in a creepy way.

"We will keep a straight eye on you..."

Even though, they tried their best to intimidate the young Korean, they didn't quite pull it off, as Hwoarang felt more confused than scared, at what they just did... he points his index finger in the direction, in which the two men were just standing and asked with a really puzzled and awkward tone in his voice.

"Uhhh... One question... who are those weirdos? Are they working here?"

Mr. Kazama simply shrugs it off, as he also didn't feel threatened by the two workmen.

"Beats me..."

And as soon as he said that, the two workmen were shocked and both opened their eyes wide in a comical way.

"Well, that didn't quite work out with the mental warning..."

But they then stopped gaping at each other, before becoming serious again, while having quite malicious grins on their lips, as they knew, this was only the beginning, so it didn't quite feel too much as a loss to them...

"Heh, no matter, this young boob will soon see... how serious we are, with showing him the "harshness of life", hehehe..."

"Couldn't have said it better. Let's get to it right away... tomorrow. The poor thing will get thrown out, faster than you can say "Oops"! Hahaha..."

While the two baddies already start to plan something unpleasant for Hwoarang, the latter is already on his way to the car with Akira and the two make their way back home... along the road, they were discussing a little about their first little success of making this town like Hwo's second home.

"Looks like we are off to not an all-too-bad start, eh?"

"I definitely agree on this... especially considering, it has also become quite complicated to get a job here and you seemed to have pulled the long one today."

Then Akira had to think of these two ominous-looking workmen again... he was thinking, that Hwo might feel uncomfortable right now, because of these two workmen, a.k.a, colleagues as of now, perhaps having given him a scare with their strange behaviour... and in a fatherly attempt, he tries to comfort him.

"About these two men we met today... let me tell you something. Simply ignore and do your own thing, alright? No need to be scared of these goons."

But this gave Hwo a good laugh, as he now reveals, he wasn't scared in the slightest.

"Oh, you are referring to these two bozos we just encountered a few minutes ago, right? Nah, no probs, they didn't scare me at all, they did give me a good reason to not pay much attention to them though... and they looked ugly as hell."

"Hahaha, you're right! They did make the impression, as if they never used, let alone SAW, a shower before in their life... and they smelled like burned gasoline."

Akira then stops smiling, as he had to admit, despite the looks and the fishy demeanor of the two workers, they still left an unsettling impact on him... he didn't trust them in the slightest and so didn't Hwoarang..."

"I gotta say though... please be careful. Shall they dare to do anything bad to you, try your best to defend yourself without hurting these two... or better yet, tell your chief about this, this is also an option."

"Oh, come on, stop over-exaggerating already. I understand your concerns, but please, these two shepards don't look like they could put up a good fight, not even for a few minutes and this would BARELY even count as warm-up for me..."

"Forgive me, but it's just that I don't want you to lose your job, just because of two morons having bothered you..."

"Don't worry about me, gramps. I know just the right ways of how to deal with buffoons like these two, shall they get the stupid idea of messing with me."

"No violence please."

"Hehe, who said, that I am planning on beating up? I can act reserved when I want to."

"Fine then... do what you want."

He then taps Hwo on the shoulder, while grinning in a proud way.

"And I wish you the best of luck from today on."

Witnessing Mr. Kazama showing his genuine care for the young Korean, brought a smile to Hwo's lips and even more so, after he helped him getting a job here in Osaka.

"Thanks Akira."

Let us see, if Hwo will have luck in the next few days... as Ugaki and Kazushi prepare the worst for him... and will it succeed?

After they arrived, the day went past by, as Hwoarang resumes his daily training once again. Since the dojo is still active, students will sooner or later arrive with Asuka and Akira being the instructors for the students, so Hwo decides to train for a few hours, before it was time for the two Kazamas to get to work... and this evening, Hwoarang talked about how lucky he was to get the job. Asuka listened and she had to secretly admit... she was jealous. But as usual, she maintains her tomboyish behaviour and acts, as if she isn't respecting Hwo, when in secret, she actually does... but then, after Akira talked about the two workers in the garage, this is when Mitsuko takes the word, as she was slowly growing anxious from the way her husband described the two creeps. This peaked Asuka's interest. She was being quiet the whole time, but her ears are wide open about what her mother is going to warn her rival about.

"Hwoarang... did these two threaten you?"

"Huh? Oh, about these two! Um, no, not really... all they did, was making me question, what they actually wanted from me. For a threat, it felt weak as water and more like an epic fail of a threat, if you ask me."

"Please, listen to me and do it real good... you may never know, what kind of shady people you might encounter in places like that, specifically in the one, in where you found your job... Asuka has beaten up more criminals there than anywhere else in Osaka, so this pretty much reveals danger, that is waiting ahead for anyone that is in that part of town. You may say, their threat wasn't that much of a big deal to you, but I still say: Keep your guard up. Anything could happen..."

The way she talked about the area, in which Hwoarang has been, sent him a chill down his spine and he was silent for a few moments, which made Mitsuko giggle.

"Oh, did I scare you too much? My apologies, dear. But this doesn't mean for you to take all this on the easier side. These guys there can be unpredictable."

Then Hwoarang becomes cocky again, after feeling relieved for Mrs. Kazama's attempt to console him a little.

"Alright then. Thanks for the warning, because if any of these filthy thugs dares to mess with me... I am gonna give them a good thrashing."

Asuka interrupts him with a little smug.

"Hey, that's my line!"

But Mr. Kazama is the one now to then interrupt.

"Nuh-uh-uh, no attacking please. You don't want to lose your job, do you?"

"I wasn't talking about these two bozos this time, OK? I was referring to these cock-faces, that idle around on the streets, behind the dirtiest corners. And hey... maybe they only act all out-of-place, because I am new in town, and I am not from here, who knows? Whatever the case, I am not going to risk anything, while I am working and also... just saying, maybe they don't like that loathsome part of town as well, so... when I am in the best mood possible, I might lend them a hand, shall they get surrounded by you-know-who-I-am-referring-to-people."

"Oh no, Reddy. Taking on delinquents is MY specialty, YOU can stay on the sidelines and watch me going all out on them."

"You believe, I am not capable of handling creeps like that? Then just you wait, you might get surprises."

"That's enough fantasizing you two. Nobody is going to attack anyone, did I make myself clear? Remember the last time, when you were arrested, because of you "protecting" an old man, Asuka? I know, as always, you have good intentions, but good intentions can also cross lines you better do NOT want to cross, as that WILL get you into trouble."

The female Japanese sighs and slurps at her noodle-soup in a bored way, before answering bluntly.

"Alright Dad... it could have been fun though..."

"Thank you for your attention."

Hwo then finishes his evening meal and burps out, loud enough, that almost the next near neighbourhood could have heard it. When Asuka heard that, she had to smirk in a challenging way.

"...Was that a challenge of 'Who can burp the loudest'?"

"Maybe. I still have more to go..."

Both stare at one another in a cowboy-duel-like fashion, before eventually inhaling and then starting to burp out loud with Asuka then taking the lead and both repeated that ridiculous little competition for over ten times, until Hwoarang desperately tries to bring out one more belch and then, it all accidently results... in him letting out a loud fart instead, as he put too much pressure on his lungs and it literally "backfired", which made the entire Kazama family laugh out loud and Hwo blush in a really embarrassed way.

"Pardon me... well... thanks for the dinner... and goodnight everyone."

"Hehe, goodnight, winner!"

Then Hwoarang left with an awkward laugh coming out of his mouth, before quickly making his way to the bathroom to clean up and then finally getting to sleep.

The next day at the workship...

It was still past midnight and Ugaki and Kazushi have already arrived to start with the preparations of their plan to kick Hwoarang out of business... both meet up in the garage and you could see all the stuff, which they will utilize to get through with their plan of getting rid of the new worker...

"Alright Ugaki... we don't have much time to spare so let us get right down to business."

The man nods and then Kazushi explains to him, what kind of traps they shall build with all this junk on the table and where they have to be set up in order to work and as soon as that was done, the two delinquents start to carry out their mischievous plot by setting up traps in every place, to which chances are high, that Hwoarang would have the first idea of paying a visit to these places. The work took almost the rest of the night, until the two men were finally done with the preparations and then made their way to the locker room to prepare for the day... and as soon as they were finished, they couldn't hide their excitement any longer as it was slowly time for Hwo's part-time of the job to begin, in the earlier hours of the morning...

"First things first... let us start harmless enough... with a classic. The mystical string in the doorway. Hoho, this will be so good."

Both then casually start to finish the rest of the work they had to cancel yesterday, because of their boss wanting them to leave earlier, until... they then hear the door to the garage open up with a loud-enough squeaking for the two to hear... both then quickly crouched down behind the car and waited for the newcomer to feel their wrath for the first time... Water-Shower from above.

"Hahaha! He's coming!"

"Shhh! Be quiet, you idiot! He might hear us!"

And when they see Hwoarang coming around the corner, he suddenly dropped something by accident...

"Oops!"

He dropped his keys and much to their dismay, his one foot overlapped the string without him noticing the trap, that was connected to the trap and his other foot also came over the thin line, thus not triggering the trap like planned, making the two men growl.

"Damn it! We should have used a much wider string!"

The Korean does a few tricks with the keys by spinning it around in his one finger, before quickly putting it back into his pocket. He sighs in a good-mooded way, before going to the locker room to get his belt ready. He didn't notice the two workmen, so they quickly went over to examine the trap properly to check, WHY it went wrong, before Kazushi becomes horribly angry at Ugaki.

"Moron, why did you use THIS string?! You know, that we needed a wider one! Piece of crap!"

Kazushi then angrily kicks the trap, causing him to squeal in pain and clutch his foot, as the nail cracked one of his foot-nails and he starts comically jumping up and down, before the two then get showered in dirty sewer water. Their plan completely backfired. Ugaki is the first one to comment on their failure.

"Well, YOU are the moron here, not me..."

"Shut up, will you?!"

Then the two sniffed at each other and then plugged their noses shut in disgust of the stench.

"Ohhhh... that smell is making me ill..."

Just then, Hwoarang comes out of the locker-room, while wearing his biker-outfit and the belt around him, ready for action. When he sees the two men, or more like "colleagues", he greets them in a friendly way.

"Hey there. Guess it's time for work, eh?"

But then the stench of sewer water came under his nose and he waved his hand in front of his nose in disgust.

"Ewww, you better take a shower first, just a piece of advice."

Kazushi and Ugaki quickly calmed down and nodded in a really serious way, while having mischievous smiles on their lips. Then, Kazushi takes the first word.

"Welcome in hell. Now my boy, you better prepare, 'cause as soon as the first costumer arrives, we expect you to be the first one to fix, whatever problem this costume's vehicle has. If you need help, just call us up."

"No problem. But don't expect me to do this a lot, because trust me, I have been working with bikes and cars in one half of my life and this isn't the first time I am doing this, so... no worries, I will be just fine."

Then Kazushi thinks to himself, after having heard what Hwoarang just spewed, in a nervous way.

"What did that brat just say? Is he trying to say, he is used to repair broke-down machineries? He must be bluffing, there is just no way! How come we weren't informed about this? But it doesn't matter... even if he is bluffing, I am sure, he is just another lazy piece of shit, who spits big talk, but doesn't possess the brains to actually back up his claims. He will just wait and see!"

He then spoke again directly to Hwoarang, while faking a grin.

"Oh well, then I guess, we might also have a little fun here... or maybe not?"

And as soon as he said that, they heard a loud honking from outside, indicating the first customer is ready to take the car in. But then Hwoarang suddenly felt the urge to go for a leak.

"Excuse me for a minute, I need to go and relieve my bladder!"

"Yeah, yeah, go already! When you go down the stairs, take the door on the right. There is the bathroom, now go!"

"I owe you one!"

And with that, Hwo quickly left the garage to go for a pee. After he left, Kazushi grinned to himself in a mischievous way again.

"Ohhh, my boy, hope you don't burn yourself from putting too much effort into easing up your bladder..."

When Hwoarang reached the bathroom-door, he was about to enter the bathroom, which handle is burning hot in the literal sense, since Ugaki put a burning red ring around the handle on the other side of the door to make the other side burn as well, but before Hwo could even touch the handle, he realized in surprise, that this was the wrong bathroom. It was for female workers.

"Oh crap! This is the toilet for females only! Lucky for me, no female crossed my way here! Now where is it? Oh there! Thank god!"

Another plan completely gone wrong... Ugaki accidently chose the wrong bathroom, but they don't know yet, if their plan failed or not. And after Hwoarang was done with finishing his private business, he immediately returns to catch on the work, that was decided for him today... he shall repair the car of a business-man, whose tires received too many holes, because of someone having used something sharp to sting holes into his tires. The task was no problem for Hwo, as he knew, just the right tools to use and what to do, which both simply didn't expect in the slightest, which angered and frustrated them even more, as they watch the new member of their team go all out with his general knowledge of machinery. While Hwo was busy with the car, Ugaki and Kazushi quickly went downstairs to check, why the Korean returned without any injuries whatsoever and they quickly realized, as soon as they arrived... the trap hasn't even been touched once and so Kazushi angrily slaps Ugaki against the back of his head for his failure.

"Ouch!"

"Just- are you really that stupid, or are you pretending to be so?! Why did you choose the woman's bathroom?!"

"I forgot to put my glasses on, before I went down here and because of me not feeling like going back up, I decided to simply go for it, so I wasn't really able to see everything and you and I know all too well: Once I am without my glasses, I am as blind as a little worm!"

"Now get inside there and turn this stupid heater off, because-"

And it then ends with Kazushi grabbing the burning handle, as he wanted to open the door, while he completely forgot that it still burns and then he shrieks like a girl in pain, while trying to cool off his hand by blowing it frantically, before then rushing over to the male's bathroom.

"No worries, Kazu! I will take it, before-"

And Ugaki is the next to feel the wrath of the steamingly hot door-handle... and it ends with both having to bandage their burned hands, before going quickly inside the women's bathroom to turn off the heater and take the machine with them... and on their way back to the garage, Kazushi growls as his second best trap failed them as well the first. But he knows, all is not lost. There are still more traps to go...

"The second one wasn't so well-thought-out as I actually pictured it..."

Then he glances at their burned and bandaged hands.

"...but we are far from finished with this nuisance of a newcomer! Giving up does not exist in my textbook!"

"Yes, sooner or later, he WILL make a mistake and THEN, what can possibly go wrong?"

"He will soon learn, not to mess with us two old gits! He will be forced to leave, once he learns, what we have left in our good old brains!"

And before they knew it, one hour later, Hwoarang was done with fixing up the issues with the car and the customer soon arrived to pick up the now fixed up car and as soon as he inspected everything and started the engine, he was impressed, because for the first time, this business is actually doing its job perfectly... the man thanked Hwo for his help and both waved each other goodbye. The Korean even got a really positive compliment from his chief for his good work so far. But then Hwo explained, why it wasn't that much of a big deal for him and then the chief couldn't hide his positivity towards the newcomer anymore. When this sight fell upon the two old workmen, they couldn't help, but tense up in nervousness, because their chief has already witnessed Hwo's talent, which pretty much gave the two the sign to keep on the facade and keep on going with the traps.

"This is no good... and the worst thing is, we only have four days left, until Kenji returns, so we have to force him to leave as quickly as possible..."

"So let us get down right to business! These first two traps were only childish pranks! Now let us get more extreme!"

With that being said, the two waited for Hwo to pass through the other obstacles they set up for him and when it became evening and Hwo's job was done for the day, the third trap was awaiting him in the locker room. Above the door, was a bag, set upside down, while the string was connected with the zipper AND the handle of the door in question. Shall Hwoarang have the idea of opening the door too wide open, the zipper of the bag shall get pulled back and he shall get showered in workman-tools like hammers, pliers, screwdrivers and so much more... but again, the trap didn't work, as Hwoarang then remembered, that he forgot his workman-belt, so he quickly ran back, before he even had the idea of touching the door to get the belt, to put it into his own safe. Kazushi then realized, he forgot to close his own safe, so went back through the door, smashed the door open, forgetting his own set-up trap and he then finds himself getting many swollen bumps on his head by falling working-equipment. When Ugaki heard the noise, he immediately ran to the scene and soon his confidence faded away, the literal second he sees his comrade having been owned by his own creation.

"Heh! And YOU tell me, it's ME who is the stupid one here!"

"Shut up, OK?! Just shut the hell up! I don't feel like hearing your bullshit right now! Simply leave me alone, get your stuff together and come back tomorrow! We will continue this scheme as long as it takes!"

"Hmph!"

"And clean up this mess, before this little flame-boy returns and raises suspicion!"

"Why me?! You set this-"

"DO AS I TELL YOU, DAMN IT!"

And so Ugaki did as he was told, before, as expected, the Korean arrived to get his stuff ready, before leaving. He goes over to his safe and puts his workman-stuff into the locker, before then seeing Kazushi pressing an entire sack of ice against his head. The mere sight made Hwo hiss, as he did look awful with these injuries...

"Oh man... so this is what you get, when you overwork yourself, I guess?"

"Meh... THIS is only the beginning, my boy. It WILL get much worse later on, just you watch. Life isn't a playground."

"Heh, OK then, I am leaving! See ya!"

"Bye..."

And with that, Hwoarang left to get picked up by Mr. Kazama, who was waiting outside the gate... and just as Kazushi confirmed, as he watches himself in the mirror with a really malicious look on his face... today was only the starting point for his throwing-Hwoarang-out-of-business-scheme. It shall get worse... or will it?

TO BE CONTINUED...


	12. The Fun Is Coming To An End

**Chapter 12: The Fun Is Coming To An End**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

(BGM for the situation: Benny Hill)

Failure after failure, even Kazushi and Ugaki slowly grew to realize, that even their best of unpleasant surprises didn't quite work out so good...like at all. In the following days, NONE of their plans came out as a success and instead of actually working, they all got it fired back at them and what's even more humiliating: Hwoarang is NOT even noticing the pranks and always manages to avoid their bad surprises by either luck or complete coincidence. It's as if the luck has been way to generous with him and it clearly showed at how many times he managed to overcome their traps. Mouse-traps hidden inside two leather-gloves. Failed, because of Hwoarang taking completely different gloves. A wooden bar, right above the door-frame, ready to let Hwo's head impact against it. Failed, because of him ducking in time. Making the adapters for the electric equipment wet, so that Hwo shall get an electric shock. Failed, because he noticed the water running down the equipment, and so he quickly dried it. Change the signs of the bathrooms between females and males, to make the young man enter the women's room instead. Failed, because of him noticing the smell from outside and nobody being in the room he was in. Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, FAIL.

And that thursday-night...both Kazushi and Ugaki are sitting on a bench outside the garage with both being completely covered in bandages because of all their injuries they accidently inflicted on themselves, because of their plan constantly failing to throw Hwoarang out and both were shivering in rage with Kazushi's face especially going a deep shade of red, until he shrieked and growls.

"I can't believe this happening! HOW IS HE DOING THIS?! My plan was so brilliant and flawless, WHY DOES EVERYTHING STILL GO SO DAMN WRONG?!"

The middle-old man starts panting from having screamed these words out at the top of voice, before revealing his bloody eyes, that indicate, he is at the verge of going mad...and Ugaki's worst suspicions came true, when he sees his partner pull out a knife, while watching him breath heavily like a demented psychopath...

"My family...my kids...my wife...everyone counts on me. If I don't hurry up...everything will be for naught. All the money I get is up a rat's ass...! Let us get over to plan B!"

Ugaki became horrified, by this terrifying change of behaviour from his partner and so he quickly latched out to grab the hand, that has the knife and as expected, Kazushi starts going wild, as he tries to shake him off.

"No, Kazushi! Don't do this! If you kill this kid, then we are more than far past screwed! We might suffer a long prison sentence if you do this!"

"I don't care, as soon as this boy gets here...HE IS DONE! My family relies on me! And if I don't act quicker, than both of our lives are down the shitter!"

"Don't be foolish, idiot! Or else-!"

It then all ends with Kazushi breaking free and suddenly slashing his knife across Ugaki's wrist, causing him groan loudly in pain, as he clutches his heavily bleeding wound. This made his eyes shot wide open in shock, as he never planned on harming his good friend like this.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry, man! Wait here, I will be right back!"

"Quick!"

And later, Kazushi bandages Ugaki's wound as tightly as possible to assure, no blood will continue to drip out...but even so, this didn't cheer him up, as he was still mad with his friend, about what he just did to him and while he was treating his flesh-wound, he could sense his will to push him away, but instead, this happened...

"Man... was that really necessary just now...? When will you learn how to control your damn temper issues? I bet, the next time, you explode like that in front of me again, is when you actually MURDER me... and while we are at it, you could already prepare a gravestone for me..."

"Sorry...I really didn't mean to do that..."

"Whatever...this isn't the first time, you've done this, so...I am not even surprised. But, back to this damn kid...how shall we really proceed against him? Any plans aside from the ludicrous one of planning a killing scheme?"

"Well...we could gang up on him, as soon as he is alone and once we have managed that, we shall beat him down, so hard, that he will get a blue eye from this...and coming back to the topic of killing him...I've made up my mind...I am not planning on getting rid of this guy anymore...however, I DO plan on sending him packing...by forcing him to do so."

"I don't know about you...but this won't be easy...this kid looks like he beats up the bad boys in the morning similar to how he eats breakfast in the morning."

"Oh, please. Don't be such a quitter! Even if this little fella is trained in any Martial Arts, here is a little fun fact for you: If you can't focus, all your knowledge of this particular fighting style in question is completely useless, since you aren't in the right state of mind to actually perform anything you have learned, so... in other words, this won't be that much of an issue, if you ask ME, of course."

"And of course, whenever you plan, it ALWAYS fails epically, if I recall correctly."

"But I am not the kind of guy to give up either! I won't let this brat simply mock me behind my back with his obnoxious luck!"

Ugaki simply shrugged this off and rather hoped, he wouldn't have to go this far ever again, once this is all over.

"Fine...whatever you say...but if you wanna do this, then let's do it quick, because on friday, Kenji comes back!"

"I know, I know! Don't pester me about this, alright? So here is the plan...we shall only snap in, once this kid gets the feeling, that he is alone and safe, while you and me get ready to slap some reality into his face...and this is going to happen, right after his arrival!"

"Good...the quicker the better I guess."

And with that, Kazushi finishes with taking care of his friend's wound. Then he stands up and looks down at his friend, who was still sitting.

"Let us clean up the traps first, so that no suspicion comes up and then...it's trial and error from here on."

"But we would do anything for our loved ones, so we will make sure to make this as quick and painless as possible!"

"That's the spirit. Now go inside and help me with the traps in question..."

With that being now out of the way, the two men went back inside to remove every single trap they set up for Hwoarang...and after the clock showed 8 o' clock in the morning (it was still dark, as it was the Fall season), they heard Hwoarang arrive. After he closed the door behind himself, he goes to the locker-room to get his stuff ready...but for some reason, he didn't feel comfortable, while being present in the very room he currently stands in. He felt watched... and he also came to realization, that Kazushi and Ugaki were nowhere to be seen.

"Strange...where are they? Shouldn't they be here already?"

After he got done, preparing his belt and his outfit, he locks the door of his own locker shut and slowly leaves the room...only to then get ambushed from behind with a knife, but Hwoarang was quick to react, as he turns around and counters the slash with a kick from the right. His attacker was no other than Kazushi...

"What the...?!"

"Hey, what the hell has gotten into you, buddy?!"

Even Ugaki gets a shocker, as he witnesses the Korean countering his attack with a sledgehammer, by kicking with other foot, before jumping acrobatically like a monkey on each of their shoulders, before eventually landing a few feet away from them. The both troublemakers were in a serious state of shock, since they did NOT expect Hwoarang to be this quick and agile, let alone a master of Taekwando, so already, they begin of having second thoughts on ever having challenged this young fellow...but of course, they would keep their composure, by hiding their fear under a faked overconfidence, as they twirl their weapons in their hands in a taunting manner. Ugaki, is the first one to leave a remark about this...

"So you aren't nearly as defenceless as we expected you to be."

However, Hwoarang felt like, as somebody just lied to him and he had every reason to be pissed at what these two just tried to do to him.

"Kazushi! What's going on here? Don't tell me...you have been planning this all along?! And I thought, you two weren't too shabby for usual, every-day workmen...well, now I could firmly say: I was proven wrong today and that REALLY hard!"

"Wow, you gather this much, you moron? After all of our plans failed of getting you out of business?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Come on, are you really this stupid, to be legally announced brain-dead? Up until now, me and Ugaki have set up bad surprises for you, that will force you to leave the company, but unfortunately, your obnoxious luck prevented our plans from actually succeeding and yes, we tried this, ever since you set foot on here!"

Hwoarang became silent, as his hands slowly ball into fists...now he was really mad. He put all his trust into these two, despite them having behaved in a strange way, but now, he could see, why they did it...they never liked him to begin with and since they don't seem to be able to stand his presence, they tried everything they could to get rid of him, whether he gets scars in the process or not...it all became clear to him and he starts to growl in fury.

"You do know, that I actually trusted you two, right?! If there is one thing that I despise the most, than it's this kind of situation, where someone actually has the nerve to lure me in, into a false sense of security, to provide a false image of the persons in question! And because you dared to do so and you now obviously attempt to perhaps, well, KILL me..."

The Korean starts warming up, by kicking around, before then ending the warm-up with a powerful stomp on the floor, which slightly intimidated the two delinquents, as they watch Hwoarang getting into his left-sided Taekwando stance.

"...then I WON'T simply stand here without defending myself from you two lunatics! Come at me, I dare you!"

Ugaki and Kazushi now had to admit, that it must have been a serious mistake to provoke the young Korean like that, since they can now clearly see, that his kicks had plenty of weight to them...but they remained cocky, as they twirl their weapons and Kazushi chuckles.

"Someone is getting a little head-over-heels here with this, huh? Well, lucky for you, our chief is not present for today and the majority of all workmen are still at home...in other words, this means, NOBODY will be able save you, even if you screamed at the top of your lungs..."

While he says this, he slowly pulls out a second knife...

"...so to make it short..."

...and he lashes out at Hwoarang a second time, with an insane smile on his lips.

"...DIE!"

"Keep dreaming, pal!"

(BGM for the situation: Verge of Despair)

And with that, Hwoarang counters the slash, by kicking Kazushi's hands, to let him drop the knives, but he resisted, as he then jumps back to let Ugaki take over with the sledge-hammer. His attack took the longest, as he had to step back several feet away from his target, before even attempting to swing his heavy and mostly unreliable weapon at Hwo. The latter dodges the swing without any trouble, and since Ugaki took the longest to recover, he uses the change to dash forward and kick him real hard in the chest, making him fly against three lockers behind him, causing a little bit of a noise to bell through the room, but it wasn't that much of an issue, since the building was empty anyways, aside from these three. Kazushi certainly was surprised at how easy it was for his enemy to send his friend flying with just one kick, but he still believes, that this was a lucky shot, totally ignoring the fact, that Hwo is actually a very skilled brawler and he had no experience in advanced combat whatsoever, giving him and his partner in crime a HUGE disadvantage. Because of this easy victory, Hwoarang couldn't help, but chuckle in dismay at these two.

"What's this? For someone, who clearly wants my head as his trophy, your fighting skills sure make the ones from an infant look masterful by comparison... and THIS is saying a lot."

The two took this to offense and narrowed their eyes, with their faces and the tone in their voices growing serious all the while.

"Don't be so sure, you cocky dipshit. We aren't even 12 seconds into this and you already seem to let your guard down very easily..."

And then, Kazushi takes both knives again to lash out at the young Korean again.

"...which WILL be your downfall!"

"This again? You are not as clever as I thought. Come to think of it..."

He yawns and simply kicks Kazu's hands again, forcing him to let the knives fly out of his grip into the next best corner.

"...your IQ must be as high as a piece of wood, if you can't do any better than this."

Ugaki also gets provoked by this really cheap attack, and this time, he waited for his companion to join him in his pair attack.

"Behind you!"

"Huh?!"

Before Hwoarang could even do anything, he immediately realizes, that Kazu wasn't before him anymore and when he turns his entire body around, he sees the two troublemakers running towards, with their respective weapons in their hands, ready to smash him in, but then again, this was way too easy for Hwo, as he has experience of how to deal with people, that attack him in this predictable manner, with obvious anger written on their facial expressions. All he does to defend himself against that ambush, was simply stepping aside to let the two imbeciles hit the lockers face-first.

"Just how fast is this guy, Kazu?!"

"Well, at least quicker than us..."

"Or more like...as quick as the wind allows me."

Kazushi and Ugaki quickly get back up and turn around to face the Korean in a really angry way. Both slowly start to feel seriously pissed off at the fact, that Hwoarang was actually capable of fighting back with technique and skill, even in a serious situation like this.

"Grrrr...Just you wait! We will show you!"

This overconfidence simply made Hwoarang chuckle, especially considering the fact, at how pathetic and desperate these two fully grown men are in getting him out of business.

"If you really mean it with getting rid of me, why don't you try harder? I mean, it's already unfair enough, that it's two-against-one. Shouldn't there be a replacement for this rule? Because so far, you looked like, as if you suffer under some sort of disability, that disallows you to throw punches properly..."

This constant showing-off really made the two criminal's blood boil now. All they asked for, was him, laying dead on the floor, without too much of a bloody mess left behind. But as established, he refuses to let them win so easily. Both of their faces turned redder than two overly sized tomatoes.

"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! JUST SHUT YOUR BIG MOUTH AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"

The two threw their weapons away and then went for physical attacks, such as punching and kicking, but Hwo blocks and counters each move with ease and while he did so, Kazushi angrily yells at the younger workman.

"You just crossed the line, young fellow! Nobody messes with me and my Homokoro gang and laughs!"

"Oh, did I? You seriously have the nerve to say that to ME? You two are the ones that got all cocky to pick up a fight with me, even though you should have realized by now, that you are no match for me to begin with! And this is not me being overconfident, as there is a very fine difference between mine and your overconfidence! While you two simply attack me with no technique or clue whatsoever and still act so full of yourselves, despite the odds being heavily against you, I have the actual skill to back up my confidence, so it would be really better for you two to simply bugger off and go home like two real gentlemen. Isn't that a fair deal? No harm's done."

Then suddenly, Hwoarang jumps up to block both of their fists, while being in mid-air, with his feet.

"Also...what did you just say? There is more of your bunch around here? If so..."

He then blocks both of their kicks with his two wrists, barely even raised up.

"...then let me give you a piece of advice: Don't even bother trying to go after me. You will regret it, the literal second you dare to challenge me in any way. Just trust me on this one...oh, and let your boss know."

All this cocky talking was enough to made the two workmen go completely wild now. Their rage has now grew beyond any reasonable measure, to the point, where they can't even think straight anymore, but as Hwo blocked another combo of theirs, he could still feel the intensity of that one attack in his both wrists. However, it still wasn't that much of a big deal for him, since compared to the other times, where he got to feel lots of pain, THIS pain was actually bearable for him to a degree, until he breaks their double-pair-attack, by doing a back-flip, run up the wall behind him, after being forced into the corner, and then hits the two men on their heads with his both heels, making the two nearly lose their balance and see stars at the same time, from how hard he hit them on their brains. It was so pitiful for the young Korean to watch these two men fail so epically, that it made him cringe and laugh, before shrugging, while shaking his head in disappointment.

"Just for how long will you keep this up? I don't have time all day. So let me be fair with you two: Since you obviously look ready to collapse and I am in such a good mood today, I will lend you a hand..."

While Hwoarang was letting his guard down, by showing off like that, he didn't realize, that a bad surprise awaited him...from behind. And it was neither Kazushi, nor Ugaki...but the unknown latter holds a weapon in its hands... it was a golf-bat and while Hwo was busy scolding these two for their obvious failure at beating him, he doesn't pay attention to what stands behind him.

"If you manage to hit me just once, I am going to spare you two and in return, I expect you two to not tell anyone here, that we ever started this unnecessary quarrel. None of us will benefit from this, if one or the other calls somebody out in front of the chief, so...since I feel bad for you two, let us better take this path of a solution, what do you say?"

"I say...screw this shit!"

"Wha-?!"

And just when Hwo heard that deep, feminine voice roaring through the room behind him, before he could even dodge in time, the bat has already made really solid contact with the side of his head, making him fly against the next near door, hard enough for him to almost fall unconscious. Kazushi and Ugaki quickly jumped up in surprise to see their saviour...Kazu almost cowered in fear, as this person before him also belonged to their gang...and it was a female member...his sister, Ishi. A muscular, yet slender, messily black-haired woman, that works at the same place like her older brother, Kazushi. She is infamously known for possessing plenty of weapons at her home and for repeatedly starting conflicts on the streets, that most of the time result in uncontrollable domestic violence and so much so, that not even Asuka was able to tame her wrath...the last time, she actually faced Ishi personally, was almost an entire year ago, when she started causing turmoil in her school, by breaking into the school building for the reason of one of her children having been punished by the school principal, despite the fact, that he was clearly the non-guilty one in the mess he was in, as he reported three students having ganged up on a younger classmate of his...and yet, he got scolded, instead of the bullies and at the time, this happened, Asuka wasn't present, because all of his happened without her hearing about it...that ignorance of the young vigilante caused Ishi to have a passionate arch-rivalry with her...and even though the Kazama apologized for not paying attention to what went around her school, forgiveness was never given to her by that woman, that loves her family with a huge passion...and today, after having witnessed her older brother completely failing to take down Hwoarang, this made her furious and both Kazushi and Ugaki were terrified, because both knew, how brutal Kazu's sister can be, if she is angry enough...Kazu shook in fear and raised his open palms in defence.

"I-I-Ishi!"

"Never before have I ever seen such incompetence! And I thought, Ugaki was the worst! You took it to a whole new level today! You aren't even able to land a single punch on some little brat, that dares to barge into our own business!"

"I-I-I am sorry, sis! I-I-I really tried my best! B-B-But this guy-"

"Save your excuses. I am aware, he is capable of professional self-defence, I could tell that from how easily he knocked both of you down."

She then kneels forward, to pull the two men up by their ears in a merciless fashion.

"If it went by my ways, I would have already thrown you out of my family for sure. You are so goddamn lucky bastards. Our Homokoro gang simply wouldn't feel the same without you two... also, do not forget, we still have some unfinished with someone...remember this girl, Asuka Kazama?"

"P-Please don't mention that name! H-Hearing her name alone is sending me chills down my spine, damn it!"

"That's beside the point...you should know, I still haven't gotten over this little bitch and what she did to my son, so listen closely..."

Hwoarang, who was really close at the brink of losing consciousness, felt the unbearable pain, that was caused by the impact of the golf-bat, literally throbbing against his neck... but despite this, he was still able to listen to every single word the three persons exchanged between one another before him... so he thought to himself:

"Homo...koro...clan? Was that...what Asuka...and her mother...warned me about...? Oh god...how could I have been so naive...?! I knew...all the time...they were bad news...yet I still let them win like this...and apparently...this woman must be the worst of the whole...interrupting a match with a weapon...this is so cheap...and why am I not surprised, that she wants...her revenge against Asuka and her family...? She sure has PLENTY of friends...and once you have them, you won't need any enemies...that's just wonderful..."

Unfortunately for him, Ishi notices him still being fully conscious and listening to her argument with her loved ones...she then immediately takes the bat again, goes over to the injured Hwoarang and smashes the golf-bat against the Korean's exhausted body two more times, as hard as she could...and this time, he fell completely silent. And just to make sure, for safety purposes, she hits Hwo with the bat one more time, but this time against his maw, just to see if he was still awake...but no response came out of him and there he was. Sitting on the floor, leaned against the exit-door, completely knocked unconscious with a bleeding nose and covered in a few bruises from that harsh assault...and with that, Ishi taps her hands together, before lifting Hwoarang off the ground to carry him out.

"Now if you would excuse me... let me take out the trash for you two. Oh, and shall the chief ask where he is, simply tell him, that he has been called in sick...for a long while."

With Hwoarang finally being out of the way, the two men regained their confidence again and stood up back on their feet with sinister grins being burned on their lips, while watching the supposedly "dead" body of the Korean being carried out of the area.

"Hey Kazushi...it seems like, the luck has finally decided to go and come onto our side this time, huh?"

"Oh yes...and the best thing is: Adieu lower-prized pay-checks. Hello double-prized pay-checks. So we will finally have our peace at last!"

"You bet your ass we will! I never liked that guy to begin with anyways. Also, should anyone find his corpse...well, in this part of town, it won't matter who hands his life over to Death. All that will happen is: You will perish. Alone, forgotten and unmourned."

"You got that right. Looks like you are not so stupid after all."

The two then start laughing, before getting back to work.

Meanwhile with Asuka...

It was now time for her to leave to head for school. As she was peacefully walking down the streets, she then stopped at a lonely bus-stop to wait for a bus to come and pick her up, so that she can get to her train. While she was softly humming to a favourite song of hers, she didn't notice further up the road, that somebody was carrying Hwoarang's unconscious body to a trash-can to throw him in and hope that the next refuse lorry to pick up the trash-cans in this one little alley...the person was no other than Ishi. But as soon as she has thrown the young Korean into the round, silver trash-can, put the lid on top and then headed back to the garage, Hwoarang's trash-can suddenly starts to move, until it happened...because of Hwo's weight and the can being lighter than the rest, it lost its balance and fell over only to then roll down the entire hill down the little slope, until eventually ending the little trip with a loud crash against the next-near power pole. When Asuka heard that noise, she immediately turns her head towards the spot, where Hwoarang hit the pole with the trash-can over his entire body... she runs over as fast as she could and then lifts up the can with all her strength, before eventually removing the hatch to see a groaning, yet dazed and surprised Hwoarang, being stuck with his bottom inside the trash-can... and once she started getting over the fact, that she is seeing her new ally inside a trash-can, being in pretty bad shape, she then came to a realization... the men, with who Hwoarang works together, must have done this to him, as she recalls what he told her about them, the first time he encountered them...

"Asuka, hey...! Would you please lend me a hand...?"

And then... she starts erupting in genuine laughter. A few days ago, Hwoarang boasted with the "fact", that he could handle any troublemaker in the world, no matter how strong he or she is and judging the way he described the two workmen, Asuka immediately knew, who he was referring to, since she knows the entire area like the back of her hand AND all the gangs, that could endanger the peace in society...and because of this, this just a gave her a perfect reason to laugh in Hwo's face, because of him getting beat by a bunch of con-artists, who don't even possess any sort of combat-experience and technique in any way.

"Oh boy! Look at yourself! So THIS is what you meant by "being full of surprises", oh, I AM surprised, at HOW you could possibly lose to these two imbeciles from the Homokoro gang! Now that is what I call a real surprise! Being beat by two of the weakest members of a fairly known gang in all of Osaka! Hahahaha!"

"Ha-ha-ha, really funny, yes, you win, I lose, I am stupid, you are smart, now GET ME OUT OF THIS!"

"Yeah, yeah, now take my hand!"

Hwo took Asuka's hand and with all her strength, she pulled the Korean out of the trash-can and as soon as he popped out, he starts groaning in pain again and this is when Asuka became surprised at the bruises, because they certainly didn't look like, they could possibly come from mere punching and this is where Hwo became really annoyed, since she doesn't know the full story yet, on what really happened to him and what he had found out.

"You think, Kazushi and Ugaki were the only ones there? No...there was another one and that was that middle-old woman... that beat me down with a goddamn golf-bat...at least, that bat wasn't the strongest one, otherwise...this would have turned real ugly for me..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say, a golf-bat?"

"Yeah...what about it?"

Asuka's eyes immediately start to darken, because she knew only one person, that would use a golf-bat to fight like that...Ishi. And just by thinking of that woman, Asuka balls one of her hands into a tight fist.

"Ishi...this just suits so well to her...to use a weapon like that."

"Hold on, are you implying, you know this woman personally?"

"Yes. I know her just TOO well, if you ask me...and believe it or not, it's a personal trademark of hers to beat down her opponents into a bloody pulp, with either a golf- or a baseball-bat. She will just do ANYTHING to get what she wants."

Hwoarang's expression also became deadly serious, because he could still, even if a little vague, remember what kind of plans Ishi talked about with her friends, after nearly having knocked him out.

"But that's not all. Because apparently... these guys seem to possess a grudge against you and that they were planning on invading your own home anytime soon... when exactly, I do not know..."

As soon as the last few phrases past through Asuka's ear, her eyes shot wide open.

"Say what?! Are they planning on harming my family?!"

But before she could finish, the bus arrived. She turns around and then runs onto the other side to catch the bus. While she runs, she yells something over to Hwoarang.

"Listen, we will talk about this later! I have to go to school! Go home, get some ice on your wounds to cool them down and after I am home, you are going to tell me everything you know, OK? See ya!"

Hwoarang waved, before eventually making his way back home.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	13. Two Heroes VS Everyone

**Chapter 13: Two Heroes VS. Everyone**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

A heartily laughter was heard inside the garage of "Car Paradise" and two bottles of beer being hit against another, giving out a loud clank. After having successfully thrown Hwoarang out of their business, both Kazushi and Ugaki were feeling so proud of themselves, that they decided to celebrate in secret, with booze.

"Throwing this brat out was a simpler task than I thought! And for a second there, I thought it was over for both of us, eh Kazu?"

"You bet, my dear friend. I think, now that this kid is no longer here... higher-prized paychecks straight-ahead, baby! Hahaha!"

However, their celebrating mood was interrupted by Ishi... who smacks both of the men behind the back of their heads, while having a deadly serious look on her face... and both workers immediately started to panic and step several steps away from her in a comical manner, while she yells at her two no-good men with a threateningly raised tone.

"Stupid! Dummy! Who told you, our business with this little asshole has ended?! This is no time to celebrate!"

Both men rubbed the back of their heads, while wincing from the immense pain they felt in the back of their skulls. Whenever Ishi lands a slap on them, it's never pleasent.

"Sorry, sister! We really am!"

"Yeah, we only wanted to slimmer down for a little, because that kid sure was a mouthful!"

The woman facepalmed and began to growl, as she was sure... what she did to Hwoarang, wasn't enough.

"Look, no clue how you two failed to even put one single scratch on this little dipshit... I am slowly getting the feeling, what we did to him, won't be enough to break his spirit to probably fight back and repay us for having beaten him to a bloody pulp..."

"So you're telling me... we have to beat him up again, sister?"

"Are you sure? Because the last time, we threw a guy out like that, we never got punished for it afterwards, since that little pussy was so scared of us. Shouldn't this actually be the same case with him?"

But then Kazushi became silent and when he thought back at how the Korean behaved, when the two confronted him... this braveness to withstand them, without pulling any punches... it made him slowly understand, why his family-member is acting this concerned about the situation...

"But come to think of it... looking back at how tough this fellow was to take down and how he didn't fear us in any way... I can kind of see, what you are getting at, sis..."

Then his sister threw up her hands and spoke out loud in a sarcastic and ironic manner.

"Oh, NOW you get it! Bravo, you two deserve a gold-medal, at how quick to two are to finally understand the serious shit that we are in! And I thought snails were quicker than you, yet today, you broke the record!"

Kazushi then folded his arms, as he shook his head in dismay.

"Jokes aside... if this red-headed pigeon dares to show up in front of us again and he proves to do the same like last time... we REALLY might be in trouble... and not only that, he might even have the nerve to either agitate the police or... a certain someone, we don't want to talk about, at us!"

"And that's why, we need to strike first, before he even has a chance to do anything. You Kazushi, go to the office and try to look up information about where this guy lives, so that we can go over and knock him down... forever. That will teach him."

He gives her a thumbs up.

"Our boss should be gone by now... let us slyly break into his office and look through the information he received from that kid and the man, that was with him! Once we do, it's showtime."

Ishi then looked at Ugaki with a demanding look on her face.

"And you Ugaki, you go and call the other members of our gang, in case of this kid becoming too much of an issue. Even if this little scaredy pants should prove to be superior in skills in combat, especially when I look back at how he easily pummeled you two into the next corner like the cowardly rats you are..."

Her look became darker, before finishing what she wanted to say.

"...against an entire gang, he is NOTHING."

"Hohoho, sounds like a fine plan to me, Ishi! Alright, I'll be in pursue! And when are we going to strike?"

"As soon as it becomes dark. Now quit stalling and go!"

As soon as she spoke that out loud, Kazushi lead the conversation.

"And what are you going to do, sis?"

"I will go back home and prepare myself for the coming attack... you may never know."

"Then I will be seeing you later. In front of your house."

"And don't forget, as soon as night falls in, you should be there in time and if you don't..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're going to give me a kick in my ass, as usual, when I mess up, now go and do what you have to do!"

"The same goes for you, I will be waiting."

"See ya."

And with that, Ishi ran to her locker room and changed into her casual attire again. Meanwhile with Kazushi... he noticed, his chief was still there, so he quickly hid behind the exit door to the office and waited for him to leave, so that he can get in and look for what he is searching for... and to his luck, he left his room and Kazushi went for the classic trick of 'casually walking by without being too suspicious' and greeted his chief.

"Oh, good evening, Kazushi. Well, are you done?"

"Yup, and I will be on my way home. I am just passing by to say Hi, before you leave."

Since the stamp-machine for registering the workers in and out was right next to the chief's office, he quickly pulled out his card and showed it to him, while having a somewhat surprised look on his face... just to keep the act up.

"Oh! I completely forgot to logout Ugaki, Ishi and myself! Let me correct this."

"Do it, my loyal fellow. Well, I will be going then... See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

And once his chief was out of sight, far enough to proceed with the plan, he quickly logged his partners and himself out, before taking a tiny box out of his pocket, that had a white, sticky, yet somehow solid goo inside, perfect to form duplicates of originally-hand-made objects like keys and opening it to take out a key, similar to the one his boss possesses to open the door. Once inside, he looked around and soon, his gaze fell upon an entire shelf of yellow-coloured documents, in which he highly suspects Hwoarang's personal info to be inside one of those envelopes. He scanned through, until he saw the H section... and much to his luck, Hwo's act was soon in his own grip.

"Well, I never did, what do we have here... hoho, now prepare, to be exposed, my old friend..."

But once he took a closer look inside, his eyes slowly began to shoot wide open in horror, once he found out, where Hwoarang currently resides... his breathing became heavier and it showed, he became desperate and so he quickly pulled out his phone to call his sister.

"Sister! Pick up! Please, it's urgent!"

She picked up, a few peeps later.

"Yes?"

"Ishi, you won't believe this! Call me insane, call me crazy, call me anything you want, but... have you any idea, where this red-headed habanero currently lives?! Because I do now and it WON'T be good news!"

"Kazushi, calm down! Take a deep breath and tell me everything calmly! What's the matter, where does he live?"

"Well..."

After having told her everything about Hwoarang and how he currently lives with Asuka's family, Ishi's most hated people in Osaka, the middle-old man was met with silence, but as soon as his sister spoke up, he knew... shit is getting real and he could tell by the overly serious, yet somehow pleased tone in her voice.

"Good, good... this makes this entire situation all the more enjoyable..."

"Sister?"

"Kazushi, you know what to do. Call Ugaki and tell him to take every single last member of our gang together with him and then, let us meet up at my place. The time for my vengeance has come. And this time, Asuka won't get away from me!"

"Alright, I'll do it right away. See ya!"

"Bye-bye."

After having hung up, Kazushi picked Ugaki's number, after having tidied up the office to not raise further suspicion tomorrow and told him about his sister's second plan. Much like Ishi, Ugaki did not take this fact very lightly... but soon after, everything was set and planned. Tonight, the operation shall proceed.

Meanwhile with Asuka and Hwoarang...

After it became dark, the vigilante and the Korean met together in his room, to continue where they left off, when Asuka had to catch her bus to get to school. Both sat down, close to the table and begin the conversation as calmly as possible, even though both proved to be quite nervous about this entire situation.

"OK Hwoarang... you told me, that Ishi and the rest of her pals are planning on invading my private property, just for the sake of revenge, right? Hm... guess I should have been more careful with my own personal incompetence on how to deal with other's problems..."

"What? What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting, that you were the one, that made the gang this hostile towards everybody else?"

After saying that, Asuka knew, that Hwoarang would like to know more about Ishi, the Homokoro gang and why they have a personal grudge against the vigilante and this made her feel somewhat bad, as she actually never intended on pulling her new housemate into this mess to begin with...

"Well, long story short... these guys hate me, for reasons, that might especially apply to the category of 'personal vendetta' all too well... you must know... Ishi, despite her aggressive behaviour, is actually a really passionate person, who would do anything, in order to assure the safety of her own family... you might say, she is like me, only that she is the other side of the coin... and the reason, why she stopped respecting me as a genuine vigilante, was when I wasn't present to jump in for her son to explain everything to the school principal, that he was the one getting bullied, not these bullies themselves... Yes, we go to the same school, but whatever... the main point I am trying to make, is that ever since that incident happened, she went completely mental and let out all her frustrations on my school... and this is where she and myself actually fought for the first time... I was at the top of my game, but since she was using weapons, she clearly had an advantage, which lead to me being left behind, ready to be taken to the hospital... she started many fights in the streets, but once I was on my way, she would already be gone, before I even arrived... out of all gang-leaders, she is a really stubborn one... I really wish to hate her, much like every other piece of shit, that doesn't follow the rules of society, but... for some reason, she is giving me a hard time..."

"...because you see yourself in her."

"Huh?"

"I mean, aren't you a vigilante, someone that assures peace and justice wherever it's needed? And if it's true, what you are saying, then... believe it or not, call me a hypocrite or whatever, I am also now questioning my hate for her in a way... because much like you, she would even dare to go beyond the borders to make sure, everything goes according to the rules..."

This made Asuka go silent, because she knew, Hwoarang was right... it made her angry, but at the same time, she couldn't deny it either... however, as a vigilante, it is her personal job, to secure the peace in all of Osaka, as best as she could...

"Still... if she messes with me, she messes with MY family, so this means, I have to go to extreme measures too... and should she dare to touch any of my loved ones, just because she cares a little TOO much about my mug, she is going to regret the day, she ever dared to oppose me..."

The Korean folded his arms together and closed his eyes.

"I guess, you're right. We can't let them get away with this... especially, after what they tried to do with me this morning... and I think, for the first time, ever since I interrupted your peaceful life, we can agree on one thing... crimes belong punished, whether they like it or not."

This statement towards the end, made the vigilante slowly grin in a playful way, because, much like he said, she agrees on the argument at hand. And despite her still not entirely trusting Hwoarang, she couldn't deny, that slowly but surely, a little bond has already begun to form between the two and judging by their experiences in life, she could already tell... he seems to be a good listener, when the right time calls for it and also someone, that isn't as bad as she actually expected to be like, the first time meeting him before and now... and so, she gave him a light bump with her elbow, while maintaining that confident grin on her lips.

"Hey, not too shabby... for a delinquent at least. You seem to know the right numbers to press with guys like these, I am impressed."

Hwo was surprised at that compliment of hers, but nonetheless, it made him smile on the inside, as he now knows, having beat some sense into her, must have been very effective, since she seemed to have learned her lesson about him and the rule to never judge someone by their looks and their negative, first experiences, that are connected to said person, alone. He returned that kind gesture of hers with his own, trademark smirk and a playful wink.

"Well, you're not the only one, that had to deal with troublemakers, his entire life... trust me, you DON'T want to mess with these shady-ass people in my part of town."

"Oh, stop it you. Go home."

"Not until you do it first."

The two then start awkwardly chuckling, until they then realized, they got a little off-topic, but they didn't mind that too much, since the two actually needed some time to get to know each other a little more...

"But... back to the topic on what to do with these guys... since we have no idea, when they will attack us, we need to be prepared tomorrow... as soon as we washed ourselves, take all the stuff you need and come with me. I know, where Ishi and the rest of her gang is residing, I've been there before, so trust my word and we are going to be there in no time."

"And what will your parents say? Haven't they warned us about not attacking anybody, especially my "colleagues" at my workplace?"

"Hwo... don't you realize, this is a situation about life and death? These guys never wanted you there to begin with and chances are, they probably would have gone as far as to even MURDER you, so that they can get away with what they were originally planning on doing, whatever it was. And you know, I don't back out from situations like these, so... are you with me? Because I am sure, others won't be spared, once you let the lion leave the cage, if you know, who I mean..."

Hwo then stood up and stretched himself, to straighten his back again, while groaning in pleasure from stretching.

"Alrighty then... we should do it tomorrow then... the edginess of getting caught is all too real... and for some reason, it gives me the goosebumps."

"That's my style. Get over it."

But before they had thoughts of leaving each other alone for the night, they suddenly heard loud screams of terror outside and plenty of people yelling out...

"What the-! Don't tell me, they were planning on attacking us TONIGHT?!"

"We better go and check this crap out!"

Both than ran out of the house, only to see the entire street being filled with members of the Homokoro gang. And all of them had weapons. But Hwoarang and Asuka weren't the only ones, that noticed their arrival. Both Akira and Mitsuko have already arrived outside to watch this fiasco and it made them horribly angry.

"What's going on here?! What do you all want!"

"Do you have any idea, how late it is? People want to sleep here!"

But they got immediately shooed away back inside the house, as three of the gang-members threw their pitchforks in their direction and both immediately shut the door, only to then watch in horror, both Hwoarang and Asuka still being outside.

"Asuka! We completely forgot her!

"And Hwoarang too! Quick, open the door and let them in!"

However, they were stopped, as Asuka shouted at them from the outside.

"No, don't open the door! Stay inside, me and Hwo will handle them! They only want me and Hwoarang, so better stay out of this!"

"Asuka!"

"Mr. Kazama, please! Do us a favour and don't try to get out and assist us, as this will only make matters worse! They are only after us two, we can do this! So better stay inside and root for us!"

The parents of Asuka really fought with themselves in actually listening to their loved ones' request, but since this isn't the first time, their daughter had to deal with this many gang-members and she actually made it out without a single scratch... in the end, they gave in, with the exception being Mitsuko, who was the most worried about the two... but Akira tried his best, to keep her calm by comforting her with his encouraging words.

"Do not worry, I am sure, Asuka is going to make it through, like always. Just put a little more faith in here and success is served for all of us."

"But... have you seen, how many of these guys are out there? Two against everyone, that is unfair! We have to help them."

"Mitsuko... believe in her! I know, in the normal cases, we should always come and support, specifically, when she is outnumbered, but this time... if it's true, what Hwoarang suggested, then it's best, that we don't interfere... and besides... Asuka isn't little anymore and so far, she always managed to pull through, with or without scratches, but whatever the case, this is still her's and Hwoarang's fight... if we believe in them, they can't lose to them, do you understand me? Do it for her's and Hwo's sake."

He was met with silence from her for a few minutes, but in the end... she calmed down and nodded.

"Fine... then we will root for them."

"That's my love!"

Meanwhile on the outside...

Asuka and Hwoarang were completely cornered, but they knew... they can take them down. Calling the police now won't help, because there are way too many thugs to deal with and arresting all of them would waste way too much time, and since these people are after their heads, the only solution was self-defence.

"Never thought I would say this, 'Suka, but..."

Despite facing the danger, he felt more alive than ever and it clearly showed through his confident smirk, the cracking of his own knuckles and him pulling down his motorcycle-glasses.

"...it's show-time."

And all that Asuka could do, was to return this gesture of encouragement, by grinning back and giving him a thumbs up, after doing a stretching-session for her legs.

"It's on! Let's go!"

Two of the thugs started to laugh and they pointed their sticks at them.

"What are you gonna do? Sit on us?"

"No, we're going to kick your ass into the next week!"

Hwo and Asuka said this synchronic.

(BGM for the situation: Halfcocked - Bad Reputation)

It was Hwoarang's turn to be the first to kick some criminal's ass. His first victim had to suffer a massive heel-kick on the head, after avoiding a coming stab forward with a pitchfork, before sending the said criminal flying against three more next to the Korean with a roundhouse. Asuka's opponent tries to repeatedly hit her with his wooden stick, but after dodging it three times, she ducks on purpose to then catch the stick with both hands, before eventually using all her strength to be the bearer this time and surprisingly succeeded, until she then smashes the wooden stick against the opponent's gut and sends him flying, as she uses the stick to rotate on it and then kick the opponent away from her and she uses the stick once more, by hitting two thugs against their heads with it and then starting to rotate on the stick once more to hit the enemies in a circle-like movement, hitting a dozen of them, before then ending it with a phenomenal jump high up into the air and a final kick in the face of the one enemy she it first. As Ishi, Kazushi and Ugaki were watching their own people getting owned like this, they did a major facepalm, since it angered them, on how much of an advantage these two have. Hwoarang was the next. He taunts a thug to come closer and as soon as he got closer, he ducks and sends the latter high up into the air with a 'Firecracker' kick and while the outlaw was flying in mid-air, he jumps up and uses 'Hunting Hawk' on the man, which made him fly against the brick-wall, right in front of him. He gave the Kazama thumbs up as a sign, his part of the bargain is done and that it's now her turn. Without wasting a second thought, Asuka went to beat up another few thugs into bloody pulps. She jumped back, as she avoided a slash, coming from a knife in one criminal's hand and just when the man was about to attack her once more, she catches his hand, that holds the knife and grins at him.

"Oh, my bad, was I too quick? Nah, could be worse."

She then kneed him in the gut, making him loosen the grip around his weapon and she stomps on the knife, while looking playfully serious, while wiggling her index-finger in a teaching way.

"Remember kids... playing with knives, especially with kitchen-knives like this, is dangerous."

As she was saying that, she kicks the downed criminal one last time, forcing him to stay down for good.

"Better learn how to handle them first, before running out, playing with them, I say... if you are asking for some fine thrashing from me."

This gave Hwoarang a good laugh, before he eventually continued this fun beating-spree. He then drew all the intention to himself, by announcing something.

"Hey, wanna know what's cool? ...kicking. And I am going to show you... what a GENUINE kick is."

He then does some impressive tricks with Taekwando kicks and to demonstrate his superiority in kicking, he sends one of the audience-members flying, by kicking him away in a flash, which made the latter crash face-first into the fence of Asuka's backyard.

"THIS is what I call 'kicking'. Who wants to be the next?"

And all members, that were watching him, have already disappeared, by the time Hwo turned around, which made him throw up his hands in frustration... as he gives up and admits it to his fighting partner, with a chuckle.

"OK, OK, you have the audience better in YOUR grip, you win."

"Thanks."

"But I'll give you the award later! Because..."

They then turn around to see Ishi, Kazushi and Ugaki, standing before them, while angrily caressing their own weapons of choice. However, THIS didn't intimidate the two at all and all they could do, was simply fold their arms and smirk at them.

"...we still have yet to clean up the major stinkers here."

"That's my line..."

"...which, I made up just now."

"No, you did not."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you did not."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you did not."

"Yes, I did."

While this little argument was going on, all three of them look at one another with a rather confused look, with Ishi facepalming.

"I can't believe it... are we really going to do this? These two fighting love-birds...? You HAVE to be kidding me..."

When she said that, both Hwoarang and Asuka IMMEDIATELY start to blush a deep shade of red, and this caused them to yell at the three in an embarrassed and enraged way...

"YEAH RIGHT, WE, A COUPLE! COUPLE MY ASS, I HATE THIS SON OF A BITCH/WHORE!"

...until the two start, synchronic, arguing again and this time even louder.

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A-!"

This earned them a good laugh from the two males and Kazushi had to compliment them.

"The Number 1, Best Comedian award, goes to you two... with these jokes of yours, you really deserve a top spot in every list of "Best Goofballs of the century"..."

But this was interrupted by Ishi, who smashed her golf-bat against the floor with a booming sound, forcing the two fighters to quiet down and put all their focus on her.

"Enough with this nonsense... you may have beaten my loyal supporters, but just remember... just because you beat them, doesn't make you king of the world. And this especially applies to you... Asuka Kazama. This was only the tip of the ice-berg, as now, I will gladly teach you the lesson of your life, of NOT what to do, when you mess with the mother of a two-headed family!"

Asuka's response to this warning of hers, made her ball her fists to a painful degree.

"Your threats are as shallow as you yourself, Ishi... you only won last time, because for one thing, you used a weapon, which was already against the rules and for another, you didn't fight fairly in the first place. Your ruthlessness simply knows no bounds and tonight, I will be the one, to teach you a lesson..."

She then steps back and does her usual combat stance.

"...and NOT you. You've done way too much for your own good this time and you know, I can't let this crap of yours slide anymore!"

"Heh, just shouting insults at me won't help... you should actually be HITTING me in order to achieve anything."

"And I will!"

(BGM for the situation: Eve)

And with that being said, Asuka dashes forward to throw her first punch at the woman, but it gets blocked by her own golf-bat and Asuka is forced to retreat, to avoid getting hit by her weapon, which she, as expected, immediately used it on her. The Kazama quickly glanced over to Hwoarang, who took care of Kazushi and Ugaki, who are right now busy with bombarding him with plenty of attacks, that involved their sledgehammers and their knives.

"Asuka, don't worry about ME! Keep your eyes on Ishi and let me handle these two bozos!"

"Don't you dare losing for me!"

"Keep dreaming, I won't give up on myself!"

"I hope!"

But just when Asuka got careless, she found herself getting hit against the side of her face with the golf-bat and that one blow was strong enough to send her flying against the next near trash-can, which caused a loud noise to echo through the entire alley. That harsh landing caused her to rub her cheek, on which she got hit.

"Ow... that hurt..."

"And here comes more!"

Before she could land a hit once more, Asuka rolls aside in time to avoid the next hit and quickly jumps back up to continue the bout. But since Ishi still has her weapon in her hands, there wasn't much that the young Kazama could do, in order to attack properly, as the range of that golf-bat was truly remarkable, so she knew... stragetic thinking here is everything.

"Man, this sucks... as long as she has that damned bat, I can't either fully defend nor attack. I am completely screwed, if she manages to hit me a few more times... it was exactly like last time and despite her lacking the proper discipline and technique of a true fighter like me, she is one tough nut to crack in half... wait a minute, I can't attack her, but maybe... I can use that knowledge to my advantage, who knows? No fighter is without a sensible spot and I think... I know what to do!"

When Asuka looked behind, while having the end of the bat in-between her palms, indicating that she caught the weapon in time before impact, she could see a really old and rusty-looking fire hydrant... water was leaking from a few of the holes and it did not look really stable... so she made a plan... and it begins with taunting her target.

"Hey Ishi, you know what? You were way better, the first time we met! Because the way you're fighting right now equals the skills of a grandmother, who must have broken her left hip, the first time actually bending forward to pick up her bag."

One thing should be said about Ishi and it's a flaw, that even Asuka knows about... she hates being called names, that come in relation to old people and since she actually used the word "grandmother", this was the straw, that broke the camel's back and so far, it all went according to her plan... as she foresaw it, Ishi was steaming in rage, from that insult she threw at her, so much so, that she actually began to shake...

"How did you just call me, you little brat...?! Grandmother... grandmother... grandmother?! ... ... ...YOU RUNT!"

She immediately rose her bat into the air and was ready to smash her weapon on Asuka with all the force she had in her two hands... but just when she was about to succeed in hitting the girl, she grimaced at her and jumps to the side.

"Hehe, you fell for it!"

"What?!

And then, as expected, the hydrant broke in half and it shot a long and strong line of water into Ishi's face, leaving herself wide open for an attack.

"That's my chance! ...SURPRISE!"

"Huh?!"

She then finds herself being brutally jabbed against her stomach, before then being grabbed in the face and then smashed head-first into the ground. The impact was so intense, that it made the middle-old woman's eyes go blank for a few seconds. But now, since she didn't move and inch for a few moments, Asuka became concerned and even this was watched by both Ugaki and Kazushi, despite them being floored by Hwoarang with ease, but were still able to watch everything... she kneeled down and shook Ishi.

"Ishi...? Ishi, wake up! Are you alright?!"

But suddenly, she abruptly opened her eyes and kneed Asuka into her left side of her body, making her bend over, before then being mercilessly pulled up by her collar and getting yelled at.

"You insolent little...! I will make sure, you will pay for this!"

Asuka couldn't do anything, since she was too surprised to do anything and it all ends with her being kneed in the gut, before falling to her knees and then getting smashed onto the other side of the alley with Ishi's golf-bat... right across her head. Hwoarang now became concerned, because he didn't expect this psychopathic woman to be this unpredictable... but he didn't want to disappoint Asuka, much like her parents, who were equally as terrified as he is right now.

"No... my Asuka..."

"This woman really is dangerous... now I see, why so many fear her..."

"We have to call the police! Right now!"

"No, not yet! She is going to make it, I know she can!"

Despite feeling a lot of pain in her aged bones, as that one blow that Asuka gave her, made it difficult for her to handle to pain better, she slowly goes over to knocked down Kazama, who slowly stood up, wiping the blood, that was running down her cheek, which got hit from the bat... Ishi scoffed and looked down on this young girl in dismay.

"So... do you see now...? Laying right in the dirt... much like I did, when I had to face the same consequences in my childhood... it feels so good. And also..."

She then hit Asuka with her bat again, in violent fashion, but this time on her hip, making her shriek in pain, as the pain was so unbearable this time.

"Have I ever told you, that you're not helping anybody with your stupid vigilante-job? All you do, is simply sticking your nose into other's business like a naive little kid, who doesn't understand the word: No."

Another blow came from her and it landed on her head this time, making Asuka shriek again, as that one spot started to bleed now, but she showed no remorse in what she is doing.

"I never asked for your help, but when my own son was in trouble and he desperately needed you, YOU WEREN'T THERE!"

She hit her again.

"These bullies got away and you didn't do anything to help him! And because of you, he had to suffer a suspension for almost an entire month, despite HIM BEING INNOCENT!"

Another hit.

"And now is the day, where I am going to let you feel the pain of my son! You say, I am a criminal, then look at yourself! All this shouldn't be your business, but you still interfere, so this makes you a hypocrite! AND I HATE HYPOCRISY LIKE THE PEST, THAT YOU EMBODY IN ALL WAYS POSSIBLE! YOU ARE NO VIGILANTE, YOU ARE A NOBODY, ASUKA KAZAMA!"

At this point, Asuka was in so much pain, that she couldn't move anymore without feeling like collapsing in exhaustion and agony... and the fact, that she couldn't save her child, despite her being there... and that she could have shown up to prevent everything from happening... she wasn't there... and this one beating made her understand everything... so much so, that she began to sob in complete and utter disappointment...

"I-I-I am... sorry..."

She was completely defenceless. Not only physically... but also mentally too... the truth hurt more than her flesh wounds... all she wanted, was to protect everyone in her town from getting him or herself into conflicts... but because of her not having been there for someone, that lived in a poor family and got the blame for everything, despite the facts having spoken for him... she realized, she failed her purpose as a vigilante and simply looked away... she broke one of her rules, that she followed with a great passion, in life, and that fact alone... made her feel weak and dreadful... and just when she was about to receive the final blow from Ishi... she gets stopped, as her weapon gets kicked away by no other than Hwoarang, who then forced her to step back... he looked pretty angry, but was still composed, as he knew, words can't reach people of her type...

"I hate to break it down to you, miss, but when I look at how you treated Asuka just now... it makes me cringe, if I want to be frank. A fully grown woman in her 40s, beating down a girl that is barely even in her 20s... pretty sad, isn't it? But what's more sad, is YOUR hypocrisy in this case. I understand, you don't like Asuka's mug, so what? Why do you waste your time on her anyways? In case you haven't noticed, she also has an actual life, you know? She may be a vigilante, but do you seriously expect her to watch after your family's bacon the whole time? That sounds pretty self-centered and disrespectful, if you ask me... and also, NOBODY, that has ever existed in the history of mankind, is perfect. You can't expect ABSOLUTE perfection, especially from somebody, that has to watch over not one, but many more families in this town, to assure that they don't get involved in conflicts with gangs, like your kind..."

Hwoarang raised an eye-brow and scratched the back of his head, while still trying to talk some sense to this woman...

"And before I forget, I truly am sorry that your son had to go through all this bullshit and trust me, I can sort of relate to his case, thinking back at how I was treated, most of the time... but do you think... what you just did is considered OK in your eyes? Newsflash: Life is ALWAYS unfair, no matter what you do, so by saying, she is nothing, all because she failed only ONCE, is honestly freaking despicable and selfish, considering how much effort she actually seemed to have put into her work to make sure, Osaka stays a safe place for everybody! So if anybody deserves a punishment, it should be YOU, with your twisted and messed up logic on justice! What would your own children think about this? Their own mother, attacking someone for all the wrong reasons... doesn't sound very good, does it?"

When he mentioned her children, she immediately became mad and she points her bat at the Korean, who rubbed his little finger inside his right ear-hole.

"Don't you dare mentioning my beloved children! If you were in my position, you would probably have a much better understanding, as of WHY I am the way I am! So you can shove that defence of yours up your ass! You have no idea, how harsh life has been to me and my two boys over there and to prove to you, HOW harsh it was, I am going to beat you to it! Nobody messes with me... or my gang..."

She raises her weapon, ready to strike Hwoarang with it.

"...and gets away with it!"

This made Hwo shook his head and shrug in an apathetic way, as he knew, she would response this way.

"Oh well, I knew you were hopeless to begin... guess I have no other choice then."

He gets into his stance, preparing himself for her. Since he was the least injured in this conflict with the gang, he was in much better shape and since he knew, on how to get on with people, that use weapons like that, this fight was fairly easy for him. Ishi had no chance and soon... the merciless fight ends with Hwoarang pinning her against the floor, while spinning her golf-bat, triumphantly, in his one hand through her fingers.

"And what were you saying again before? About how you wanted to prove to me, how serious you were about being a cruel bitch? Oh wait, you did... sorry, but I was too focused on beating some more sense into your tiny brain, that I almost forgot..."

"I... I hate you... curse you... and your stinky friend..."

Hwoarang then turned his attention to Kazushi and Ugaki... he was still curious at why they wanted him to leave 'Car's Paradise' for good.

"And hey, about you two... what was your deal? Why did you want to get rid of me? It's not like I insulted you in any way or, did I? If so, then I genuinely apologize, but if not, then... what was it?"

Both knew, that it was futile to fight back at this point and since they were going to prison anyways, it was time to tell the truth... but before they could so, they suddenly heard someone yelling for their names and to their shock... it was Kenji. As soon as he arrived, he could only look both surprised and disappointed at the same time, for obvious reasons...

(BGM for the situation: I'll Face Myself *Piano*)

"There you are... I should have known it..."

"Kenji?! What are you doing here, I thought you said, you would return on Friday! And come to think of it, how did you know, we were here?!"

"Well, my little "vacation" didn't turn out so good, so I decided to arrive a little earlier... also, you didn't pick up your cellphone and when I arrived at your home, I asked your wife, on where both you and Ugaki were, so you might say... a birdie told me everything... but please Kazushi, didn't we make an agreement, that you won't harm this kid?! Why did you come with your gang here and decided to cause this young fellow a lot of trouble?!"

Kazushi and Ugaki took a deep breath and since they felt dreadful for having broken their promise to their best friend, you could tell, that the tone in their voices was indicating, they were at the brink of shedding tears for more than one reason... Kazushi is the first one to speak...

"Kenji... I am really sorry... but we HAD to do it... it was cruel, I can't deny it, but you've got to understand. Haven't you noticed the slight cut in our pay-checks, even before this kid arrived? We were working our asses off and we even worked past midnight, but even then, our earnings won't become better..."

"And when Hwoarang joined us, the payment became even smaller, to the point, where we were thinking, that if we keep going like this, we are sure to worsen our physical health... the payment was miserable and he only made it worse..."

"We did this, because we were also thinking about you, Kenji... I mean, you have two children and I am sure, should have you returned, they payment would have gotten even worse... and since you need the money more than any of us three, we wanted to spare you the most trouble..."

Kazushi then looked over to Hwoarang in apologetic manner, full of regret.

"And I have to apologize to you too... what we've been doing was completely immoral, since you also looked like, you could use the money for something useful as well... and if we broke your trust to you, you are completely welcome to hate us and we won't blame you. We are hard-working and actually respect everybody that works with us in the same boat... so all we did, was simply an act of desperation... we actually never wanted it to go this far, like, ever... but since you cornered us, we were forced to go to extreme measures, much like you and your friend over there..."

This fact and this apology made Hwoarang silent... he didn't expect these two to be this apologetic towards him... and he kind of felt bad for them, since he was also able to relate to their case...

"But... why didn't you simply tell your chief, that you weren't satisfied with your payment? We could have solved this in so many different ways, but this..."

"And that's why we are sorry, that we pulled you into this mess... I promise, by my honour, that as soon as this entire dilemma should get solved... we are going to repay you for having spared us and made us look the errors in our way..."

Then Hwoarang began to chuckle...

"You really are a bunch of weirdos... but I guess, even the weirdest of them all, have the hugest of hearts... and hey, who doesn't deserve a second chance in life, I guess? Apology accepted... but should you dare to backstab me... it's going to get real ugly for you two and I mean it."

Both Kazushi and Ugaki pressed their heads against the ground, as a sign of humiliation and gratitude for his nobleness. Then Kazushi said this.

"You have my thanks... even though, we don't deserve your forgiveness... and we swear by our lives, we won't ever do this to you again... we shall work together in peace from now on..."

Then both of their gazes fell upon Kenji once more... and at this point, both began to cry.

"And please... will you please forgive us?"

This made their friend silent, but then... he shook his head, kneeled down and hugged the two.

"OK, I forgive you two... but please, you have to swear me, that you won't ever pull of tricks like that again, should another new member arrive in our team. We can solve anything peacefully..."

Then both Kazushi and Ugaki hugged their friend tightly, while letting tears flow... even Hwoarang had to wipe a little tear off of his eye-lid... he then went over to Asuka, who helped herself into a sitting position, before offering her a hand to help her back up.

"Hey... let's go inside... our work here is done."

Asuka still hasn't really gotten over what happened just now with Ishi and her words were still echoing in her mind... Hwo understood, but then he had to make something perfectly clear to her.

"Listen... don't listen to her... I know, you've messed up, but this isn't the end of the world. Remember, that the entire town needs you... even if you make one mistake, I am sure, they are going to understand... you are not perfect, nobody is."

"But... I... I could have prevented it... yet it happened without me..."

"So what? Would you like to be able to teleport? Like I said, I stay by my word and say: Don't overdo it. Because nobody will benefit from it, if you overstrain yourself... simply do what you can at the moment and don't try to overestimate yourself, alright?"

He kneels down to her and had to smile, because he was impressed at how long she lasted in this serious fight. He even gave her a wink.

"But I have to say this... not too shabby for a Kazama... at least."

Now Asuka couldn't help, but smile a little herself... a little blush even formed on both of her cheeks, as she took Hwoarang's hand who helped her back inside, where both Akira and Mitsuko were waiting for them and soon as they got inside, the other gang-members cheered for them and their leaders, since they also seemed to have learned their lesson... they didn't call the police that night, since they knew, it wouldn't benefit anyone, if they arrested these misunderstood people now, who only did what they thought was right...

After Ishi got her wounds treated, she slowly entered the room of her own son and bended forward to leave a soft kiss on his cheek... Hwoarang's words seemed to have reached her, since she muttered these words into her son's ear...

"My son... forgive me, for having been a terrible mother... in the near future, you won't ever have to bear to see my violent self, ever again... this is my promise to you... and by my life, I shall keep it... I love you..."

THE END


	14. Asuka Kazama The Cook?

**Chapter 14: Asuka Kazama... The Cook?**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

The loud bubbling of boiling water is heard... and behind a seemingly large rice cooker, something was slowly raising the head above the top, and that something, was no other than Asuka Kazama... and judging by all the sweat dripping down from her cheeks and the almost comical cramped facial expression on her face, her nervousness was all too real, while she desperately looked back and forth. First at the rice cooker and then at the cooking guide in her right hand, while holding a wooden spoon in the other one. However, her movements were a little slower and much more thoughtful than usual, as a few days ago, Ishi has beaten her nearly to unconsciousness and she was left with a few blue spots everywhere, especially on her hip and her head has been half-way bandaged, because of a bleeding wound on her forehead and it looked like a sweat-band around her head...

"Oh man... why does my brain tell me... that I am doing something completely wrong here...?! I couldn't possibly be THIS bad at cooking...!"

When all four hearths came into vision, it became clear... it was a mess. The red, spicy Thai sauce from the pot on the top left was literally almost leaving the pot and some has already dripped down from the edges and gets disintegrated in thick smoke. The boiling broccoli doesn't have it as rosy as well. When Asuka picked one of them up with a fork, she already felt how soggy it was and before long, it slipped out of the fork's ends with little to no problem, with the floor being its destination and since it was still hot, it also landed on Asuka's, unfortunately, bare foot, which immediately caused her to groan loudly in pain, while clutching her burning foot, jumping up and down in the most hilarious fashion, before then turning around in a really angry way to growl at all the materials before her.

"I won't let this simply sit on me! This WILL be delicious and NOBODY will tell Asuka Kazama otherwise! ...although, at this point I doubt it... but I WON'T fail! Beating the shit out of punks is my specialty and so should be cooking! ...although... no, NO 'although'! No, I will make it! All I need, is to stay calm and see what I can still fix..."

First, she checked on the red Thai sauce, that was at the brink of completely leaving the boiling-hot pot and she did so, by tasting the sauce... however, it wasn't an easy task, since the sauce has become so chunky, the spoon couldn't pick the sauce properly up anymore.

"Shit, now it's all lumpy! That's the limit!"

She took a long, suspicious sniff to smell the sauce, without even noticing, that her dark-blue hoodie, at about her sacred chest-area, has become dangerously close to the now open pot of the boiling water with the broccoli, with her having forgotten to put the pot lid back on... but she doesn't notice anything, until...

"Hmmm... the sauce smells like dirty, wet wool... and what heat in here..."

...she NOW notices the burning in her chest and she quickly pulled away, while clutching her breasts together and cooing loudly in agony.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow... what a moron I am..."

She then quickly brought out two little ice-packs, turned off all the hearths, including the rice cooker and pressed the two cooling packages against her most sensitive area with her almost crying at how much it hurt her... and when she looked at all this mess, she shook her head in disappointment, finally accepting her failure...

"Heh... look at this... my first time cooking... and now it looks like on the battlefield here... that's just fantastic... not. I only hope... this won't be too bad in taste. Looks gross, but... looks aren't everything... right?"

After having calmed down a little, she prepared everything, ready to be brought to the table. Just like she expected, both her parents and her new "partner in crime", Hwoarang, were all waiting for her, really excited for the results of her cooking... their anticipating looks, that just literally scream for the stuff that she made, made her heart pump completely out of control...

"Please, please, please... don't be bad, don't be bad, don't be bad, don't be bad..."

When the plates were on the table, everyone on the table starts getting doubts of this tasting good, from the first looks alone... and Hwoarang is the first to notice it.

"Don't know about you guys, but... doesn't this stuff smell burnt?"

"Now that you mention it... it kind of does, I can't deny..."

Asuka heard everything and her nervousness grew all the more intense, the more she listened to them show slight complains... and since she was sitting right next to Hwoarang, she was also feeling awful for having failed at cooking something tasty. Since he saved her bacon a few days ago, her hostility towards the Korean has slightly vanished and she knew, she had to thank him dearly for having protected her, even though she was planning on declining his support, because as usual, she fights by herself... and to show her gratitude to him, she made the vow, that in a few days, she shall take the cooking-crown and take the lead for the dinner this time... she always wanted to try cooking, as she knew, it was slowly time to finally learn how to cook... but since this meal is SURE to be a massive failure, due to a few mistakes she made, she felt like she let him and her family down... and Hwoarang noticed it.

"Hey, what is it, Asuka? You're so silent, that's totally unlike you... come on, cheer up!"

"Shut up... you WILL hate me for this afterwards, trust me...!"

"Oh please, why all so gloomy? I mean, sure, it doesn't look this appetizing, but it could be way worse. After the days of my training with Baek, THIS is nothing. Anyways, time to eat! Time to celebrate our victory over the Homokoro gang!"

"I agree!"

"Asuka, dear, me and your father were really glad you made it! I know, it's your duty, but we were still worried about you and Hwoarang, so today, let us move on from this conflict and enjoy the dinner, with which you took your time to cook for us!"

"..."

The female Japanese couldn't do anything to prevent them from putting the toxic stuff in their mouths... and then... it all ends with their faces turning painfully red and with them screaming in agony.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT IN MY MOUTH?!"

"ASUKA, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Then all three quickly grabbed for their glasses full of water and drank up everything, until there wasn't any drop of water left in their glasses. Hwoarang then angrily turned his attention to Asuka, who also couldn't help but growl at her, because he thinks, she might have tried to let him suffer.

"What kind of food is this?! Are you trying to kill me, or what?!"

"I am sorry, please don't yell at me! This was my first time, alright?! It was never my intention to let it turn out like this!"

"Hwoarang... behave yourself... please..."

"Give me a good reason why!"

"It's enough! Let us all take a deep breath... and then calm ourselves, please... yelling at my daughter won't do anything..."

"Fine..."

They all then did, what Mitsuko requested them all to do... and after that, she asks Asuka to follow her into the kitchen to have a conversation between four eyes and once there, she began to speak again, this time in a soothing way, as she could clearly sense her daughter feeling awful for having failed this one meal and that she was close of throwing a temper tantrum...

"Asuka... listen to me. Don't be sad, that you messed up this one meal, OK? It's completely normal to make mistakes like these, especially for those, that don't do cooking on a daily basis, so... trust me, I was feeling just as bad as you, when I cooked for the very first time in my younger days, but since it's in the very nature of all of us to learn from our bad, first experiences, I don't see a reason to be harsh to yourself. I know, you are a perfectionist, but even THESE people make mistakes sometimes, because you can't be born with abilities, right taken off the bat, otherwise, you'd rather be called god... which luckily, you aren't..."

"And what if I WANT to be perfect and forget all my flaws? Otherwise others would simply look and laugh at me at the same time?"

"NOBODY ever said, you HAVE to take responsibility for everything and I am sure, everyone will understand."

These last three words made the girl a little bit angry, since she had to think of what Ishi did to her, and how unforgiving she was to her, while having beat the crap out of her, so she folded her arms together in a rejecting manner, while letting out a significantly loud, sarcastic-filled scoff.

"Yeah, much like Ishi understood me, when I didn't follow my own strict guidelines for protection of the innocent and simply let her beat me to bits, because of me not having been there for her son, when he desperately needed me? Yup, that's EXACTLY what you probably meant by that with "understanding me"..."

"Don't be ridiculous, it was just ONE person, and you simply let yourself get worked up, all because for ONE mistake that you made? Like I said, NOBODY is perfect ...why won't you believe me and finally realize, what me and Hwoarang, tried to tell you?"

The young Kazama looked away in shame and bit her lower lip, as she tried to hide her coming tears... she didn't take this beating, that she received from that one woman, in who she could kind of see herself and relate to in many ways than one, very lightly, as she was right... she was everything, that Ishi mentioned... most specifically, a hypocrite... she wants to help people, yet at the same time, she harms other people, all for the sake of "safety", without realizing, that all she does, is simply making everything worse... and even though, the situation might have calmed down between her and the Homokoro gang, it won't be the last time, they will have met one another... with all this in mind, Asuka responded to her mother's question, with a soft and somewhat hurt voice.

"Mum... I am trying my hardest to believe both you and Red Hawk, but... in the current situation I am in... you kinda give me a REAL difficult time... I appreciate your help, I really do... but..."

She then looks up and shook her head, trying to choke back a sob.

"I-I need some time alone... p-please let me go..."

But Mitsuko understood her daughter's dilemma, as she heard everything of what happened between Asuka and Ishi through Hwoarang... and since she hates to see her own off-spring this upset and discouraged, she let her go, before leaving a kiss on her cheek.

"Take all the time you need, my dear... you have all the time in the world."

"Thanks mum..."

And with that, Asuka slowly headed for her room to remain there for the rest of the night... and when she reached her bed, she collapsed on her fluffy pillow and looks into nothingness with her blank eyes... until she began to reminisce of Ishi's words again, to the point of utter agony and desperate attempts to shake it all off... to no avail.

"YOU ARE NOTHING, ASUKA KAZAMA! You don't help anyone, but yourself with your own interpretation of "judgement" and to do that, you simply stick your nose in situations, that aren't even supposed to be part of your own concerns!"

Asuka's breathing became heavier, to the point, where she began sweating... she wanted to deny all these claims, just trying to call Ishi's words complete nonsense, but whatever she did, she couldn't help, but sense some correctness in her own quotes... her confusion, both emotionally and in deciding, of what she should do next, with her courage to keep on fighting for what she thinks is right, now being completely crushed to pieces, simply knew no bounds anymore. First Hwoarang and now Ishi... their voices rang through her mind, as she remembered how she lost to these two and what the cause was for her failure... but in the end, it didn't help anything... but she still couldn't accept her two losses... in act of rage, she looks at her balled, right fist and starts growling in a loud and frustrated way, as the mere thought of having lost two times in a row and having failed to be there for someone, drove her beyond the edge and instead of breaking down in tears, tears of rage ran down her cheeks, as she then suddenly starts punching her cramped-together blanket...

"Why, why, why, why, why?! WHY DID I LOSE?! I gave everything, I've got! And yet-"

She then throws her teddybear against the door with all force, before going over to punch her own teddy instead, while still crying at the same time.

"I FAILED! You've really got to be the biggest failure of life, IF YOU CAN'T EVEN BEAT TWO EVERY-DAY DELINQUENTS, EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN BEATING GUYS LIKE THEIR KIND BEFORE BREAKFAST! WHY! DID! I! LOSE?!"

She then throws one final punch against the teddybear's head, before then breaking down onto the floor, starting to sob loudly, while clutching on her teddybear for dear life... never before, has she felt so alone, so while facing the truth, right into the eye...

"Just... what shall I do... what is wrong with me...? Am I really... that much of a failure...? It can't be true... I love my city... and I love the inhabitants... as much as I love my family... was it all... for nothing...? Did I only waste time...?"

It was in that moment, when she heard someone knocking at the door and when the voice came in, she realized, it was Hwoarang... and she could clearly hear the slight hint of concern in his voice, aside from the otherwise always sarcastic tone in his way of speech.

"Hey, Mrs. Protector-of-the-Innocent, are you there?"

But since she couldn't forget her humiliating defeat against "Red Hawk", she put all the blame on him for all of her problems and her hostility became all too real, once she stood up, abruptly opening the door to find a Hwoarang, who has his arms folded together, while keeping a serious look to his face, despite Asuka's constant yelling, which she targeted all on him and even when she brutally pushed him three times in a desperate way, in order to finally make him leave, Hwoarang resisted and defended himself against it, before pushing her away from himself, which she didn't bother countering, because her powers left her and there she was, on her knees, covering her tear-soaked face with one hand and with the other touching the cold wall next to her... and even this didn't break Hwoarang emotionally.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! Get lost... I don't want to see your stupid face...! GO AWAY! If it hadn't been for you, my life would have probably stayed normal! If it hadn't been for you, Ishi might have NEVER gotten the idea of messing with me a second time! I... I... I HATE YOU! Go away...!"

But despite seeing her in this miserable state, Hwoarang remained deadly serious, because he most likely didn't feel like crying with her and watching her like that, a girl that used to nearly beat him and being always fired up for more, made him cringe... now all he sees before himself is a weak and pathetic cry-baby... but at the same time, he knew, insulting her wouldn't do anything... so he kept it to himself and instead decided to go a little distant from her.

"...let me guess, you still didn't get over the fact, that you lost against me, am I right?"

Silence. But Hwo remained resistant and kept on going to speak some sense into her in hopes of taming her anger... in the back of his mind, he felt terribly sorry for Asuka and watching her carry this heavy burden of protecting the entire city all by herself, was way too painful for him to simply not paying attention to it, but he remained cold, as he hates to be too much of a softy to women in general...

"OK then... then it must be your loss against Ishi, or probably both? In any case... let me just give you one quick piece of advice for the future..."

He took a deep breath and then starts to speak, trying to sound as serious as possible to make it more impacting.

"You won't ever succeed in this world, if you simply deny the facts and wish to forever live in the safety of your own shell... sooner or later, you will have to leave that shell and once you do... it will already be too late for you... good luck with it."

And with that, he left, leaving Asuka with that message, to which she remembered every single word, just to be safe... and before she knew it, she quickly wiped her eyes dry and went, completely emotionally numb, to bed to sleep, as she had school tomorrow... for some reason, after having listened to Hwoarang's short speech... her sleep was somewhat peaceful that night... the reason might be, that Hwoarang must have cleared something up for her... but this still wasn't enough to convince her... for a start however, it wasn't TOO much in vain at least... and it should only get uphill from here.

The next day after school...

After having seen her test-results, which all of them turned out to be majorly average, except for maths, which she hated in general and was below-average in terms of score in the grades, she was immediately on her way home... by foot... but on the way there, she heard someone yelling out curse words and it didn't quite sound like someone from here.

"Hm, I think, this might be the best excuse for me today to not come home earlier..."

She quickly took out her phone to type to their parents, that someone seemed to need her help at something and that she might need a little bit longer to come home and as soon as she typed the message, she ran to the place, from where she heard that yelling... and in the meantime over there, a bearded, chinese-looking man was yelling at a group of troublemakers, that dared to attack him, because they wanted to sabotage the area behind the man, that seems to look like a chinese restaurant... and the people inside were completely terrified to watch these three men causing trouble to the owner of this restaurant... who turns out to be the infamous martial artist and owner of the branch 'Marshall-China', which just got restarted from scratch again after a success at the 7th Iron Fist tournament... Marshall Law.

"Who do you think you are, demolishing my property and scaring away my beloved customers?! What do you even want from me?"

"All we want is your money, now hand it over pal, or..."

Then suddenly, he grabs a nearby woman around her throat and pulls a knife out of his pocket to press the edge against her Addam's apple, ready to cut through. Law could only watch in shock.

"Leave this woman alone! She hasn't done anything!"

"Do I look like a give a shit? Give me your money, or SHE will have to die... by too much bloodloss!"

"You really are desperate! Let her go, or else-"

"Or else what?"

And everyone involved suddenly froze, when they heard a female voice behind the troublemakers...

"It will be ME, who is going to kick your sorry ass."

And the men found himself getting kicked in the head from behind, thus letting go of the poor woman and the knife and his two men followed shortly after and when Asuka looked over to see, who the men were threatening, she became curious, because the man looked like, she has seen him before...

"Hey... do I know you from somewhere?"

And to her surprise, Law was just as puzzled, because he also had the same feeling about Asuka...

"I could ask you the same question... haven't I seen you, back in the Iron Fist tournaments?"

But Asuka saw one of the criminals swinging back at her, so she quickly dodged it and kicked the same man, that just assaulted her, away.

"You know what? Save the chit-chat for later and lend me a hand here already!"

The Chinese shrugged, while slowly approaching her and the thugs.

"Whatever has happened to the magic word 'Please'..."

He then screams his trademark battle-cry, before throwing a flying kick at one of the criminals, that really sent him flying, which shocked Asuka, as that kick could have also taken her along, since he only passed by, mere inches away from her face... and it brushed her skin like the sharp, booming wind, with his opponent flying away from the two.

"That will teach you a thing or two on how to have proper manners in a restaurant!"

Asuka was amazed at how much force he put into that one kick and he could see the one criminal lifting himself back up for more, as he ran back to attack Law.

"Was that all! WAS THAT ALL?!"

"So you've ordered another beating, sir? Well, then let me be so nice and give it to you for free this time!"

He keeps on taunting the thug, by doing a 'Fake Step' back, waiting for his enemy to come closer and once he punched pass Law, as he stepped one more step back, he finds himself getting sent flying with Law's 'Dragon Knuckle', that lands a massive hit against his gut.

"Presto!"

Asuka was amazed at how swift and unexpected that one punch with the knuckle looked like, even though it only happened so fast, because the thug let himself get distracted by his 'Fake Step'.

"Awesome... he packed one massive punch there..."

The thug, who has landed many feet away from the party, now made a run for it without looking back.

"You haven't seen the last of me!"

Law scoffs and then turns his attention towards the other two thugs, that are standing close to Asuka... and both of them froze at his ice-cold and sharp look, as he slowly approached the three, including the young Kazama.

"You should know... I hate bad table manners... but what I despise even MORE... are punks, who don't know how to be proper with their behaviour..."

He then starts cracking his knuckles.

"And because of this..."

And then... he brutally punches the two thugs away, with Asuka ducking, thus avoiding the devastating punch, all the while staring at Law's enraged look.

"...YOU THREE ARE BANNED FROM GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR MY RESTAURANT!"

That one punch was strong enough to let the two criminals eat brick, as they broke through a brick wall behind Asuka, which really made her jaw drop this time.

"AMAZING!"

And after letting his stiff neck crack, he goes back inside his restaurant and he is greeted by soft, yet firm-sounding applause and clapping by his customers, as they were glad, it's finally over with these dudes bothering their meal and their time off. Law didn't actually expect them to salute him, but he took it all with a smile to show, that he was grateful, however on the inside, he didn't feel comfortable with it, since he actually hated to harm others like that... Asuka then realized, after awaking from a her frozen trance, that he owned this restaurant... and then she felt her empty stomach growl, as she took the wonderful smell of fried noodles into her air-intake with utter delight...

"Am I in heaven? This smell... it's so good... well, while I am here, a little plate of fried noodles wouldn't hurt."

As soon as she sat down on one of the stools, she has already ordered fried rice with plenty of pork meat and it got delivered to her, just on time, warm and fresh. The scent was so alluring to her, it didn't even take longer than two seconds for her to finally begin sipping the noodles up into her mouth... it had a spicy aftertaste, but she didn't mind that, as it was just too good for her... Law watched her, eating his food with pride, knowing he did it right... so he left his kitchen to go and look for her. He sat down next to her and began to speak, as he leans his head against the palm of his hand.

"I see, you love my style of cooking, huh?"

"Huh, oh yeah! I do! It's so good, I could literally shovel this stuff into me, until I am round like a gummy-ball!"

"Hahaha, I am glad to hear that..."

"By the way... you were just so cool back there! You kicked these assholes off and ripped them a new one! You, my friend, already have a place in my book 'Honourable People'."

Law wished, he could take this compliment with joy, but unfortunately, as he reminisces of his own criminal past, as of how he constantly tried to illegally get the money he needed so badly to get what he wanted, he kind of lost his good mood a little, as his smile disappeared...

"Ah..."

"Hm? D-Did I insult you or anything?"

"Not really, it's just... before you think, I am cool and hip, just because I beat some punks... if I want to be honest, and before you ask, no, I am not really proud of this... I only did this, because I had to, that's it. I bet, you would have done the same, if somebody should have dared to attack you in any way, shape or form..."

"Oh..."

Asuka didn't expect Law to be so held-back, when he isn't in action... in the tournaments, she always saw him being all fired up for the next opponent and whenever the odds were against him, he always seemed to have managed... his spirits inspired her, they motivated her... but seeing this side of him, was really new and surprising to her, she was almost stunned... however, since she didn't want to get that much into detail about this right now, as she didn't feel like thinking about what her close ones told her about accepting defeat and becoming a better one, at the moment. Then... she got an idea... since she really needed a few cooking-lessons to improve at her own cooking, and this stuff here was actually really delicious... she proceeded with asking the question:

"Hey, um... I know, this might be a little too much to ask... and I bet, you might disapprove of this, since you fear about your own brand... and you might even think I am a weirdo for requesting something like that completely out of the blue... but... could you teach me on how to cook, asian-style?"

And as Asuka suspected, this request did Law almost make him fall off his stool, with his eyes shooting wide open.

"What? You want me to teach you in the arts on how to cook properly? And why if I may ask?"

"Let's just stick with the fact: I am cooking like shit. So bad in fact, one of my fellows almost had to be sent to the hospital, so... I was wondering, if you had any tips that you could give me, on how to do this and that properly, without letting it end up miserably... and causing casualties afterwards."

"Is it really THAT bad? You must be bluffing."

"If I ever make jokes about something like that, ever again, you can call me the next Gordon James Ramsey."

"Hmmmmm..."

Law was silent for a few moments, until he then began to speak his mind out again.

"So you want me to teach you on how to cook, right?"

"Yes."

"You know... I could do that for you... IF you accept MY personal request to you. Two requests actually... the first being: Don't tell anyone of my secret ingredients, otherwise, my own business might go down the shitter, as everybody might imitate my style and then I will be screwed."

Asuka presses her knuckle against her chest as a sign of promise.

"You have my word on that..."

"I know, we won't work with my ingredients, but since I am the owner here... safety goes first. And... my second request is... I want to see, how strong YOU really are..."

"In other words... is that an invitation to a one-on-one match?"

"Indeed. And you may now ask, why would I ask you out on a match like that... the answer is as simple as it possibly could be... I need a training-partner to measure my strength, just to make sure, I didn't slack on anything... because it has been a while, ever since I seriously trained, so yes... my answer is: I am in search for a training-partner. My son could be the one... but sadly, he isn't here..."

"You have a son?"

"Yes, but he is still in New York. But he will come to visit me once..."

"Can I see him once?"

"If you want... anyways, as I was saying, I am in need for someone to spar with, so that I can keep my own training-schedule up... are you fine with that?"

This gave a lot for Asuka to think... since for one thing, she felt exhausted, because it wasn't long ever since she left her class and if she wanted to get cooking-lessons from him, she would need her parents' approval... but then Law had to mention something.

"But just as a reminder... I won't always have the time to train you in cooking, because I am a really busy man, but... since you seem to make the impression, that you could put up a good fight... in your case, let's make an exception... as long as your family is fine with it, unless they already know about this..."

"No, no, they don't... I better ask them first... even though, I hate doing that..."

"That's good... should they allow you to get under my wing for schooling in asian-style cooking..."

He looked around for a piece of paper and a pen, until he immediately went inside to get to his office and take the needed materials away from there... and so, he returned to the young Kazama and begins writing down an address on said paper... and as soon as he was done, he shows it to her...

"...meet me at this following address. It's a small temple, that goes by the name Shitennō-ji. Let's meet up there, as soon as you get your parents' approval. And before you do, call me under that following number. It's written down there, underneath the address. Well... are we cool?"

Asuka had to admit... she felt a little better, with a familiar-looking martial artist giving her a chance... and so she responded with a very light grin on her lips.

"Yes... yes, I am! You have my thanks. And thanks for the meal."

"It was my pleasure."

And with that being said, Asuka jumps off the stool and waved Law goodbye.

"Well... see you around."

"Good day, my dear."

And when Asuka was outside, she took a good long look at the piece of paper in her hands... she was sunk in her own thoughts... and she had to think of Law's words... but one thing IS for sure... she felt a little better for some reason... this one encounter lightened up her mood a little more, even if it isn't much... it was certainly a step forward. And so... she had to smile to herself...

"Maybe... only maybe... this might be MY chance to shine once again... but let's see... I sure as hell look forward to get toe-to-toe with this guy...!"

But when she looked up, she realized, the sky was getting darker and she comically jumped a little.

"What? Already so late?! Oh man, dad's gonna kill me!"

And with that she sped off in a hilarious manner... but with her mood having improved... she kind of felt... something interesting is going to happen, once she finds herself in the ring with this man...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	15. How To Prove Your Own Worth

**Chapter 15: How To Prove Your Own Worth**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

After having talked everything out with her parents about Law's offer, of her getting to practice with him in cooking, they still had to make a verdict, if she was to go to him... and surprisingly to her fortune, they approved... ESPECIALLY Hwoarang, but ever since the incident with her assaulting him right in front of her room, he has been avoiding her, ever since she returned back home... however, she was kind of scared of looking at him into his eyes as well... she knew, she messed up... and this thought is going to come back to haunt her, as long as she is to practice together with Law... tomorrow, she shall go to the Shitennō-ji temple, where the Chinese is to wait for her arrival. And for this somewhat special occasion for her, she decides to put on her old, white-blue, signature jumpsuit-outfit, which she used to wear during the 5th and 6th tournament and once she saw it, she had to smile and let out one loud sigh, as she nearly drowned in nostalgia...

"This baby right here... will always have a special place in my heart... it simply showcases everything, that represents me... as who I really am... who I am..."

Once she spoke the last three words out... she began losing her good mood once more, as it felt like, these words were hollow and had no meaning to her, as she reminisced of what she had become, after having lost two times in less than one week... this was the biggest insult, she could have possibly EVER received... and it made her feel dreadful... weak... useless...

"...but who am I kidding, right? I am just a dreamer and that's it... there is nothing more to it than that, but oh no... I actually am JUST a dreamer..."

She then puts the leathery jumpsuit right on her nightstand, ready to be put on tomorrow and tonight, she simply collapsed powerless on her bed, as if somebody sucked the life out of her body... no movement, no nothing... she fell asleep, right on this spot...

The next morning...

It felt strange, seeing how much of a beautiful, sunny day it was today, with the vigilante's mood still being on ground zero... still, she had to admit, the weekend is starting promisingly enough... after having washed herself, having put on her beloved jumpsuit with the rest of the set, having called Law to let him know, that her parents said yes to his offer and eating breakfast with her family for a little while, she got into the bus and bought a ticket for herself, before sitting down on the front seats to head for the place, where the cook was waiting for her...

When she jumped out of the bus with her bag, being thrown behind her back to carry it more comfortably, she then goes down the lanes until then a small and a huge temple fall onto her field of sight...

"This must be it... the Shitennō-ji Temple... now then, where is this old fella hiding from me?"

She then plugs up all her courage together and decides to enter the large tower first and... surprisingly, nobody was there... even in the other tower, there were no tourists, no nothing... it was silent like a ghost-town, until... she then suddenly turns around to see Law, meditating in another room, not too far away from her, in the little tower... she gulped, as she now felt more nervous than before... she has never fought against a master like that and surely, the power he possessed, which he demonstrated to her yesterday, by beating up three criminals and coming out victorious, just in one huge shot... that thought alone scared her, but since she is the master at hiding her true feelings, she swallows her pride and enters, all the while cracking her knuckles to come with a confident facade... and as expected, Law heard her foot-steps and the cracking of bones...

"A promise is a promise... now let's get right down to it, shall we?"

The middle-aged man had to chuckle at her confidence, as it reminded him of a really close friend of his... he gave his beard a quick brush, before doing his own warm-up techniques, by kicking around.

"Is that how you greet someone? If so... then better unlearn it pretty soon, because... rudeness isn't an honourable trait for a fighter. And while we are it, you could have also told me your name, before we even got straight to the point of all this..."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry... my name is Asuka Kazama... satisfied? Come on, let's just get this over with already!"

"There is no need to yell, I can hear you just fine, my eardrums haven't stopped working just yet... Asuka. Let us begin."

"And just a little reminder... if you worsen my mood, you could already pay for your own hospital-bills... it's not wise, trust me."

"Big words, but let's see... if you can back them up."

And pretty soon, both are outside in front of the temple, facing one another on opposite sides, with both of them warming up to prepare for this match. While Law pulls off some of his famous kicks, all Asuka could do, just to hide her own insecurity, was to boast with her skills, hiding her sweat all the while.

"Hehehe, cool moves you got there, pal... but I think, you've never faced a Kazama before in your life, ain't I right, gramps? Osaka is our territory, our fighting style is pretty much an attraction, once you see and feel it on your skin, immense, yet worthwhile pain incoming. Yeah!"

However, Law was far from stupid. Even though, he couldn't smell her sweat of nervosity, he could sense its presence all too well with her... from the way she talks and from the way her body moved, while she talked... it became clear to him, that she was getting second thoughts about all of this, but he instead decided to play this game with her, just to see, if his expectations prove correct. He simply chuckled and does a Dragon Charge stance.

"Really now? So in other words, I am pretty much facing someone prominent around here, am I right? Well, then how can I say no to this training session, guess I chose a seemingly worthy opponent this time."

Asuka took this response in and she came to the realization, that he is possibly mocking her... but again, much like Law, she will try her best to hide her true face and instead of beginning to rant about this "compliment" of his, she then proceeded to show a fake smile instead, while cracking her knuckles.

"You bet your wrinkled ass, you did! I am gonna show you EVERYTHING!"

"Then let us stop the small-talk..."

And with that, Law opens his eyes...

"...and let us begin."

(BGM for the situation: Trip)

...and starts running towards the female Japanese. The first attack of his was his famous Dragon Cannon and when Asuka sees this coming, she immediately goes into the defensive.

"Uhoh, here we go! I better play safe for a start..."

She crosses both arms together, waiting for the kick to land on her, but for some reason, she didn't feel anything... that's because Law goes for a tactic of his and something that he usually does, when he is fighting in a real match... the Fake Step.

"Wait... that technique again..."

However, this one moment of her letting her guard down, soon proved to be a fatal mistake...

"You fell for it!"

"Wha-?!"

...as Law then launched forward with a Dragon Knuckle, which Asuka this time couldn't block. That one blow landed right on her most sensitive spot... her gut and once it bombed on her, she felt her stomach painfully cramping together, forcing herself to spit and then clutch her stomach with both arms.

"W-What was that...?! It didn't look... t-that unpredictable before...!"

"Hehehe, hurts, doesn't it? Lesson one, should anyone besides you dare to challenge me to a fight: Letting your guard down, only for the fraction of a few seconds, if you let yourself get distracted by my movements... THIS will result from your naivety."

But Asuka quickly recovers from that one and spit to the side to show, that she was alright and gets into her stance one more time, again, not showing her insecurity.

"What...? That was it? Or is there more? I've handled worse than this..."

"Oh, you are OK after all. Fine, then let's continue!"

"And I will be the one to attack this time! Watch and be amazed, oldtimer!"

And with that, the young Kazama runs towards the Chinese-American, only to then assault him with a fully charged Spinning Heel Drop.

"How about this?!"

She was expecting him to block that one attack, so that she can distract him with it from her second attack, which are her 'Leg Cutters'... but to her shock, he didn't move an inch... however, only when her ankle was mere inches away from the side of his head, he suddenly grabs her leg, pushes it quickly aside with only one slight push with the back of his knuckle and then goes for another frontal assault.

"Oh no, this again!"

"Here!"

That next attack that Law throws on the young girl, is his equally known Dragon's Flight... within one blink of an eye, he quickly stepped back, only to then fly forward with the kick, that took down one of the bad guys from yesterday in just one blow. Everything became slow again and all Asuka could do, was watch him getting closer and closer to her face... and before she knew it, she finds herself getting sent flying against the stone-wall behind her... that one kick felt like getting punched in the face, with a rock instead of a normal fist and the impact against the wall didn't make it better... Law does a Fake Step one more time, while brushing his thumb underneath his nose once.

"Is this really the best you have? Aren't you supposed to be the protector around? So far, you're not making a really splendid figure as a "protector", don't you think? Or are you purposely holding back, just to then show me the real deal after the warm-up round?"

When the dust settled, an injured, yet still tough-looking Asuka, slowly gets back up, only to then fix her jaw a little again, while showing a fake grin once again.

"Hey... good work... you really pulled off one heck of a number on me... but in order to force me to my knees, it would take a lot more than just a few kicks, y'know..."

Law wasn't so sure anymore. He could be wrong, but he is slowly starting to believe, that all this was really just an act of her, which she desperately tries right now to maintain, so that he doesn't get the wrong idea about her... but he decides to stall a little more, just to see, if his suspicion becomes true.

"Very well then. If you are looking for a compliment... I can at least say: You can take more than you can chew, yet are still able to stand after a blow like this. But then again... toughness isn't everything."

Asuka had to admit something herself as well... since it won't be long, until her facade is going to crumble away... she realized, she actually has to show, that she is capable of so much more, even though it is all just an act.

"I can't believe this guy... he really is a tough one. This fight hasn't even started yet and already, I am in complete deep shit... his specialty seems to be taunting his opponents with these feints of his. And when I tried attacking him, he outright kicked me away, as if I was just a wooden dummy... let's see... how could you defeat someone, that repeatedly taunts you in coming closer... wait... my father once taught me how to counter opponents' attacks of any kind, with a parry... maybe...? Yes..."

She made a decision. She is going to try and beat Law, by giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"Hey... where are my manners? Screw me, right? Guess, I should have actually used my precious brain last time, hm? I actually knew, you were going to use that tactic, before you even got thoughts of executing it... but guess what?"

Asuka decides to taunt Law this time, but to him... this was all too predictable. From the way, her way of speech has evolved so far, he came closer to the truth. But again, he is taking no chances.

"...someone is better than you. Take a closer look, oldie!"

And with that, the Kazama goes for yet another frontal assault, and... much like she predicted, Law went for the same tactic once more... however, this time, this is what she has been wanting him to do. After doing another Fake Step, he taunts her to come closer, but this time, Asuka stood in her place and refuses to go any closer to him... slowly, but surely, Law HAD to attack, since simply staring at her won't do anything, but just as he went for one more Dragon's Flight... this time, Asuka ducks, turns around and waits for him to attack a second time, and as expected, he did, with another Dragon Knuckle, but then, she positioned both her hands in a position, ready to grab his arm, just before impact... and Law realized that too late, much to her satisfaction. She grabs his left arm, lets him trip over her foot to fall on the ground, before brutally jabbing him against his throat.

"Heh, you didn't see that coming, did you?"

"Argh!"

But Asuka was far from done with him. Because she then goes for yet another one move... she lifts him off the ground, before he could have a chance to recover, clutches one of his legs (right) and one of his arms (left), before then starting to spin him around like a rollerblade, while he was still at about her height and then smashing the back of his head, head-on into the rocky ground, making him yell out in pain.

"Aaaargh!"

"Heh, how do you like that, huh? This one of my family's specialties too, y'know!"

But her luck was over, before it could continue, as Law then proceeded to kick her away from him, by kicking her in her gut, but she quickly jumped aside to avoid said kick, before doing two backflips away from Law and facing him again. The latter began rubbing the back of his head and he looked like, as if he is seeing stars...

"Whoa, that genuinely hurt this time... pretty smart move there, using my own tactic against me... then I suppose, I will need to change my plans as well..."

He starts kicking around two times, before doing his famous Backflip attack once.

"In other words... let us start for real this time. Since you proved to me, that you aren't as much as a one-sided-thinker as seen before... let us start the second round, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me. We've warmed up quite enough, as far as I am concerned. Let's get this over with..."

"Now then, let's start!"

(BGM for the situation: The Braveheart Challenges The Strong)

For once, Asuka got to hear Law's famous monkey-like battle-cry and before she knew it, he was already on his way to her, but this time, since Asuka got time to get his pattern down, she slowly but surely got an idea on what do to next, should he use that or any other move he possesses. And this time, it actually goes well for the two. Each one of them manages to either block or counter each of their attacks with little trouble... however, Law still had a trick up his sleeve. He knew, at one point, Asuka will be completely worn out from this constant battling over someone's leadership in this match, since his stamina lasts much longer.

"Despite that weird demeanor of hers, she has plenty of potential... I can genuinely feel all the power and effort she puts into these attacks of hers... but for some puzzling reason... despite them actually hurting me... I can sense a distinct coldness to them, as if... she is in a situation, that decides over life and death, which is strange... because this is only a sparring match... now I am really curious..."

And much like he asked for, Asuka soon grew exhausted of this seemingly never-ending struggle and after backflipping away from one another, after one more counterstrike, there she was, breathing heavily, while sweat drips down her cheeks and her now shiny skin overall...

"This guy does not seem to understand, when to quit, doesn't he...?"

Law now knew, it was time to prove her of a better one.

"I must admit, you really put up a good fight... but when I look at you, you don't look as fresh as you did before, when we first started..."

He then pressed both feet with all force against the rocky ground, letting it crack at the same time, before concentrating all his power to spread it everywhere inside his body... and Asuka, because of her being completely worn out, couldn't do anything this time... she felt powerless... she knew, what was coming for her. He is going to knock her out with one final punch of his... and she was completely defenceless, pretty much easy prey for the American.

"This is it, huh...? Is it my destiny to end up like this...? Is this what the dear god held in petto for me...? I tried everything... and yet, it felt like, I got nowhere... am I doomed to be always remembered as a failure...?"

"So for the final test, let us see, if your energy resources are stable enough to withstand this one! But this doesn't mean, it will end painless, of course!"

"Go for it... I can't do anything... simply end my agony..."

Not only has become Asuka defenceless, but her up-beat spirits, that always screamed for fighting, are slowly vanishing in a deep dark void... she felt alone, cold and worthless... she fell to her knees, and clutches her stomach with her desperately trying not to cry, with her lips apparently beginning to tremble terribly...

"Time's up, girl! Take this!"

And with that, Law jumps forward to land a Charge Power Punch on her and he was just so close, when... he suddenly stopped in his path, just mere inches away from her, when he heard a loud sob, getting choked out by the young Kazama... he calmed his muscles and his mood for fighting quickly vanished, as he now became the most curious... his suspicion about her became true. He now witnesses the real side to Asuka and what really bothers her heart and soul at the moment... he began to ask in a curious way, with Asuka already rejecting his help.

"Excuse my questioning, but... you didn't fight seriously enough, because of a personal issue of yours, am I right?"

"W-Why do you want to know that...? You're a just stranger... we only know one another for one day... a-and yet, you already ask me personal questions... pretty dumb... i-isn't it...?"

"Hey, I may be a stranger, but I at least am an honest one! Tell me, why didn't you fight properly?"

"THAT is none of your concern... especially, when you try to reason with someone, that has always been a pathological failure to begin..."

The last part made Law even more interested in her... he knows, it's wrong... but now he kind of felt sorry for her... since "failure" was a word he hated with all his existence... and he had to admit, despite a few mistakes she made, she actually did prove herself to be a worthy opponent to him, so he disagrees with that statement, A LOT.

"What? Failure? Are you kidding me, that was honestly the most exciting sparring match I've ever had in the past few months! Come on... whatever it is, you can tell me about, I may be a stranger, but I am at least the friendly kind of stranger..."

He then goes to his knees himself, to look at Asuka's face and when she lifted her head, he could see, she wasn't happy and that would be an understatement... tears were running down her cheeks and her face was painfully hardened, all for the sake of hiding her true side...

"So... what bothers you, my young one?"

Asuka sniffed loudly, as her hands also start trembling and her face stops straining too much... she realized, it was no use to hide it any longer... and since he asked so kindly, rejecting him again, wouldn't help the situation she was in... so she decides to finally give in and let everything go...

"Let me ask you, Law... have you ever felt... so worthless...? Or more like... like the biggest failure... in the history of anything, let alone in the world of martial arts... all because you couldn't keep a promise, that you gave an entire group of people... that all rely on your support... only with you ending up failing someone, that belongs to those kinds people, that you gave the promise to...?"

As she was spilling her heart out to him, Law listened to every single word... and the more he did so, the more it became clear to him... he had to cringe, when he thought back at how much of a jerk he was to his best friend, Paul Phoenix and how many times he actually didn't listen to his wife's concerned words and simply went pulling off, borderline criminal moves, just to get to the one thing he needed the most... money. He tried to help his son, after a severe accident with Paul's bike, but he was only able to do that much later, when he received the prize money of the tournament, as a consolation prize for having been able to get the furthest in the previous Iron Fist tournament... still, when he was thrown out of the fifth tournament, much too early, he was still able to see through his mental eye... what kind of a mental breakdown he got to feel, thus forcing him to stay away from his family, until he has fixed everything, that went horribly wrong... his son was able to recover, after having paid the bills and he is now back to full strength, but then... he remembered, he still had to give Paul some of his own earnings, just enough, so that he can finally leave Japan and start a new life in Arizona... and in response to Asuka's sorrows, he looked away, but then back to her and raised one eye-brow.

"I see... so you couldn't come at me with everything... all because you were feeling miserable over a mistake you made, that actually now belongs to the past...?"

"Past...? It happened nearly two weeks ago... long story short, I got to feel the consequences of my own mistakes... with someone almost beating me to death with a damn golf-bat..."

"Ohhh... sounds really unpleasant, doesn't it...? But... what exactly happened...? And should my questioning become too much for you to bear in the process, just let me know..."

The young Kazama wiped her tears away and slowly stood back up onto her feet, while still having her eyes focused on her boots.

"I won't get into much detail... but to keep it short... this is a story, that actually happened way back, around the time, before the 7th tournament began... and to be clear, three bullies were harassing a young kid, that goes to the same school like I do, so you might be thinking, that I should be able to get to him, if he really is in the need of support, but... no. At the time, I had my own issues, pretty much disallowing me from helping the innocent... and it all ends with the poor boy getting blamed for having started it all, even though he wasn't the one, starting that argument... his mother caught wind of this and said mum, got a little bit TOO mad and decided to go rampant at my school, just for the sake of revenge... and I was the one confronting her... so yeah, what happened, you may ask? She especially blamed ME for all this mess, that her son got into, all because I couldn't be there for him in time... at first, I didn't give it much thought, however... this thought quickly changed, when this mother returned and swore to let me feel her wrath... and all this resulted in me being pretty much turned into a human punching bag for her... and the fact, that I lost to someone like her, someone who has literally zero to NONE experience with martial arts whatsoever... grrr..."

She threw a very serious glance at her balled fist.

"...it's making me sick. Shouldn't the protector be the most reliable person in town? And I let myself get beat by this complete buffoon? I still can't possibly believe this."

Law then puts his hand over her fist and looks at her with a serious glance, however, it didn't feel cold, when Asuka looked into his eyes, so she felt no threat in him whatsoever in this moment.

"Why don't you simply swallow your pride and actually move on and be a better one?"

"Huh...?"

"Look, I am no psychologist and I have no intent in actually boasting about anything here, but... why won't you accept your loss? Sure, losing to someone, who has no technique in any way, from the way you described said person, but for the love of god, it's not the end of the world! I mean, look at me... if I look back at how many mistakes I made, that I still regret to this very day, I can't deny, that these are moments, in which taking them all in with dignity, the moment you get confronted with them for the very first time, is NOT a simple task to do, I won't lie... but you know... coming from someone like me, who has made PLENTY of mistakes and I am talking about AN ENTIRE TON of them, I got to learn, that viewing a loss as a loss, complete defeat, utter humiliation or whatever, won't change anything... all it does, is simply contribute to my dark moment, by making me feel even worse..."

As he was about to tell her, his most precious moment, he had to crack a little grin and closed his eyes... as he reminisces of his youth and how Wang Jinrei took him in to train under his care... both had many disagreements, but in the end, the two grew closer each passing day, simply because of his teachings...

"But then... a good-hearted old man taught me something, that shall be remembered for a lifetime... and that is: If you lose a fight... you are a winner."

But this only confused Asuka.

"Oh, please, cut me some slack on this cliché with Chinese wisdom..."

"But it's the truth, let me explain... trust me, I was just as perplexed as you are right now, once that one message reached my eardrums, but... the more we trained together and the more I lost against, I noticed... I became better... and better... and once I got older and I decided to go out there and form my own lifestyle, with plenty of said mistakes, but also plenty of successes being made along the way... I finally understood his words... losing a fight, does not mean, that you shall always be remembered in a shameful way, as the biggest failure in the history of martial arts... it shall more likely give you your own opportunities. Don't look at your losses as complete disasters and take them in as lessons for the future. Nobody is born as a fighter, which also means... it's completely fine to make mistakes, as they shall actually help you in improving yourself as a person AND as a fighter."

He then puts her hand on her shoulder, continuing his motivational speech.

"What I am trying to say is: You have made mistakes and that is totally fine, NOBODY in this world expects perfection from only one person. And instead of beating yourself up, because of all this, you should actually do the complete opposite... view them as chances to become even stronger and once all this is behind you, you can look back at your errors with pride, knowing that you have managed to evolve in both skill and as a person."

While he continues to speak, Asuka's eyes were hidden underneath her bangs this whole time, but Law said what needed to be said and so he took another certain distance away from her, for safety purposes. He doesn't know, if he really reached her with these words, but what he DOES know, is... this fight isn't over yet. The Kazama was still standing, so Law then proceeds to get on with his motivational speech, by yelling out to her, while maintaining that grin on his lips and doing a warm up, by kicking around.

"Come on, don't give up! The hope still lives well with you, so take this chance and fight until the very end, how about it?!"

(BGM for the situation: Confidence)

When he said these last phrases out loud, something began to grow in Asuka... all these haunting thoughts and words of Ishi drowned in the echoing, encouraging words of Law... and memories of her mother's and Hwoarang's words resurface in her mind... she realized, that their words held merit to them, now after having listened to Law's speech...

FLASHBACK

Mitsuko: "Nobody is perfect. You shouldn't take ONE major loss to offense, please don't be harsh on yourself."

Hwoarang: "You won't get far in this world, if you repeatedly deny the facts and decide to instead live in the safety of your own shell... and one day, it will be too late for you."

FLASHBACK END

"Yes... they were right... both of them... why didn't I listen to them sooner? I can still win... yes, I can!"

She felt, how her fighting spirits return to her, and with that her own confidence came back too and she felt a warmth inside her... the coldness has vanished, as this power began to run rampant throughout her body, she has never felt this powerful before. She thought to herself in surprise...

"This power... it's unbelievable, but... it's true. I am gaining my strength back... and it's all thanks to him... I was never good with words, but I've never felt so alive! And much like he announced, I shall take this chance and decide this duel for myself...! It's now or never!"

And once she lifts her face, she revealed her trademark smirk, that just leaks her good, old self-confidence. She begins cracking her knuckles and her neck, just to show how ready she was for him... and that prideful sight brought a smile to Law's lips.

"She had it in her... I knew it from the very start."

She then points over to Law, while still having that confident sneer on her face.

"Hey Law! On one hand, I have to thank you for helping me out here! But on the other, you will HAVE to feel sorry, 'cause now, I will be the one to pound you into the ground!

"This is exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"So far, it was fun, but now! Let's finish this! Let's go!"

"Hooooh!"

With her spirits having returned to her, the final phase of the battle began. The two then ran to one another, to first go for another frontal assault, by letting their attacks clash together. But Asuka, with her head now being free from all kinds of distractions, had a plan, on how she is going to win this bout... before, she managed to use Law's tactic against him, that involved confusion, by luring your opponent into coming closer, only to then catch them off-guard with an ambush from either side of the opponent's current position. So she decides to go for this strategy once more, only this time... she is going to top it off, with something far more destructive than a simple ambush. Like the cherry on a vanilla-sundae. But now comes the chocolate-sauce... she is going to do the same thing, that Law did to her in the last half of this match... she is going to stall this struggle as long as possible, just enough, to assure his stamina will finally have left his body entirely, offering her the best sight of his tough spots possible... she grinned to herself, because she knew...

"Asuka Kazama... is back on the market."

To her luck, Law actually ate her baits like a bird picking up crumbles of bread, one by one. This part of messing around with his mind, brought her the most pleasure, since she also wanted to make him pay for this disgrace, of making a fool out of her with his constant, deceiving tactics. And soon, much like she predicted, Law really began to break sweat... a lot. She wasn't in high spirits like before anymore, since she also wasted her energy, trying to prevent him from injuring her too much, but her fighting spirit was still strong with her and this time, it doesn't have any ideas about leaving her again anytime soon, which forced a heavily breathing and sweating Kazama to crack a smile and to boast a little in her typical fashion.

"Is that your best...? Before, you were at the top of your game, but now... your age seems to catch up with you, old-timer..."

"Heh... good one... but I am still standing! You haven't won yet, so better save your denunciations for later, when I actually lose, how about it?"

He couldn't hide his exhaustion and the light-headedness in his own way of thinking any longer and this made Asuka grin even wider in pride...

"Fine, then let's make a deal. If you would just give me one more minute, it will decide, whether you or me will leave this bout as either a winner or a loser. One more minute Law... is that good for you?"

Once again, giving the fact, that Law couldn't think clearly any longer, this gives the young Kazama an essential benefit, that will increase her chances of winning and thus, to taunt him, she is starting to spin her right arm in a really quick way, like a windmill. Though Law remained unimpressed, since his curiosity of how she is going to prove herself against him, now that he helped her back up, was miles stronger than the curiosity of whether he is going to lose or not, so he had no regrets.

"Of course, it's fine with me... if you can back it up that is. Arrogance is fine, if you have yourself under control, as it WILL lead to your demise, once you start overestimating your skills... see this as a lesson. Arrogance can even bring the strongest of all to collapse. And they will fall deep, VERY deep."

"I am not being full of myself..."

She then jumps and roundhouse-kicks the air, before landing on one knee, with one hand pressed against the rocky floor, while keeping her eyes on her target, that is Law.

"...I KNOW, this is going to work, wait and see."

"If you insist... then allow me to test it!"

Law brings out one exhausted-sounding battle-cry this time, as he made his way to the young Kazama once more. But much like she planned it out, she is going to wait for him to come closer. Since she didn't have any taunts, she is simply going to wait for the right moment to strike... she had to watch, how the American went for another Dragon Cannon. He came closer and closer...

"Closer... closer... come on, just a little more..."

And just when Law was close enough to land the kick on her...

"...NOW!"

...she steps to side, ducks forward and then went for a Raging Storm.

"Peek-a-boo!"

"What in the-?! Arrrgh!"

These two, quick and unexpectedly vicious jabs, that landed a massive hit on his gut, were just enough to make him spit a little bit of blood, before sending him flying away from the Kazama, who still wasn't done with him yet. She uses this moment of defencelessness to then finally put an end to this duel, by running to the weakened, kneeing fighter-veteran, while cracking both of her knuckles to warm herself up for her final assault.

"This is it! Someone is about to lose! Here comes my special!"

The first thing, that she did to master this technique, was by stunning the Jeet Kune Do master with knee in the face, causing his nose to bleed and him to almost fall backwards, but Asuka catches him by his shoulder, only to then pull off one of her personal favourites for throws that she had the honour of learning from her mother. The Falling Rain. The grip became tighter and Law's face gets smashed against the ground, before then getting catapulted high up into the air by Asuka, who then begins roundhouse-kicking the middle-old Chinese five times, before making him come in contact with the floor, only to then get him to bounce back up, thanks to Asuka's Thunder Fall Kick and while he remained in mid-air in the process, Asuka goes for the kill.

"That was a really fun match, but unfortunately, anything has to come to an end anytime soon... it was fun while it lasted, but now... it's over for you! And I am gonna seal this end... with THIS!"

As Law was about to reach the floor, to her luck, his body turned around after the massive blow he gave him with the Thunder Fall Kick and her most important target was his face. She rushes straight-forward, only then grab his face and smash him to the ground, face-first, causing the ground beneath the two to be cracked open... after she finished, she jumps back and falls on one knee, as her body also slightly succumbed to exhaustion, not to mention, the wounds from her older battles were still present in a way, so it all wore her down... but she wasn't mad, nor frustrated... in fact, she has never felt so good and satisfied with her efforts. Not to mention, she just beat one of the most capable fighters in the Iron Fist tournaments, which filled her heart with even more joy... she was genuinely happy... and so was Law, as he then began to recover from this hard blow... these attacks really packed a punch, but it didn't matter to him, since he was also proud of Asuka... he wipes his bloody nose and slowly approaches her, before going on one knee himself to be on about her current altitude... he gives her a thumbs up and pats her shoulder in a really proud way.

"I'm impressed, you actually won... I told you, all you need to do, in order to become a winner, is to believe... you had it in you."

"Hehehe... thanks a bunch, Law... I simply don't know what to say, to express how thankful I am, that you fixed me back up... bringing me back to make me see, who I really am... now, maybe I can finally return to the vigilante biz, with pride... you were right... I should no longer see every loss as immediate reason to feel ashamed of myself, instead... I have to see it as a sign to continue, to become better, to become stronger... the exact same strength, that allowed me to acclaim victory for myself, shall become the same, with which I will protect all those, that I love... no turning back anymore!"

"That's good to hear... now you seem to have finally understood it... whenever I found myself, competing in the Iron Fist tournaments, I kept not only thinking about the cash... I had to think of my son, my wife, Paul and everyone else, that live in my part of town in New York... they had faith in me... and this is what brought me here today... true strength lies within the admiration you receive from all the people around you..."

Asuka could only nod in agreement. From now on, she won't ever let losses get to her, way too easily, anymore... they will now work as a motivator and nothing else... but now, she felt guilty for having been so ignorant towards her family and Hwoarang, especially him, since he also contributed to her success in this fight...

"Once I am outta here... the first thing, that is to happen, is that I apologize to all those, that I denied for a while."

"That's good. And I hope, everything calms down between you and your family..."

And with that, he offered the young Kazama a hand, to help her back up and once the two stood on both feet, he asked the question, that Asuka has been longing to hear, ever since the two decided to spar together.

"Now with my training-session being out of the way... are you ready for some fine cooking-lessons?"

This brought a huge smile to Asuka's lips. And she wasn't scared of this anymore, since she believed, that she is going to succeed in this... it will become hard, but at least, her confidence is back and with that, she shall go through with this challenge with no hesitation.

"Yes... yes, I am! What are we waiting for, I say, let's do this!"

"Hahaha, OK, OK, calm down! It will be one hell of a ride, trust me. Once you've learned everything, the rest of the recipes will become like a piece of cake."

"I sure hope they will. Otherwise, it'd be dull, ain't I right?"

And with that, the two new friends are now making their way to Marshall-China, to begin with the preparations... with everything now being finally resolved for the young Kazama, the only issue being in the way, was the cooking... but she knew... that won't be a problem either, not anymore... because her courage has been revived. The courage to live.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	16. Foreshadowing Chain Of Events

**Chapter 16: Foreshadowing Chain Of Events**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

(BGM for the situation: Fooling Mode)

Three weeks have passed, ever since Asuka managed to come forth as the victor in a match with the infamous chef and martial artist, Marshall Law, who had offered her a special kind of training in cooking in exchange for a sparring match at a temple ground, somewhere in Osaka. And during that period of time, the young Kazama has already started making good process... with some massive epic fails at the start, with her overcooking the rice into a white soup, with her not being able to crack an egg open without making a mess and with her making the noodles TOO crunchy, until it loses its edibility. And Law had to repeatedly remind her, that patience was everything and she had to take it in and bear it... but with her having regained her good, old confidence again, she didn't mind his nagging one bit, because he was in the right...

(BGM for the situation: Bob Bradley - I Didn't Know)

...and soon, she knew how to handle any knife and any other spice, she was familiar with. And five days later, the ultimate test came. She had to cook for her family and Hwoarang, with Law watching over her to keep her motivation fired up... and positively, it was going well this time. Everything happened so slow, but for the Kazama, it felt like the shortest minutes of her life, as she slices the vegetables in suitable pieces, ready to throw them into the pan and fry them until they are soft, yet delightfully crunchy to the bite. Next up, was the rice. She ripped the bag of rice open, like she didn't even give one single damn, as long as it simply landed in the water and it did, bit by bit. She then proceeded with the process of making the spicy curry-sauce and all she needed was the bouillon and the spices... in fact, she has become good enough, to be considered a cook in training. She made it look like it was real simple, when it really wasn't... Law nodded and scratched his chin in a satisfied way, while watching his personal disciple going all out on the meal and soon... Asuka smashed the wooden spoon against the table in front of her, signalizing, that the dinner was ready... and the smell this time, didn't make anyone in the room flinch. It did the complete opposite actually. The scent of the freshly made curry drew the entire family to the table... and once the spoons got hooked in their mouths, Hwoarang was the first to hum in a delighted manner...

"Oh my... this is good...!"

Even Asuka's parents were most impressed with the results, with Mitsuko leading the conversation.

"The taste is spot-on, I see no issues here... good work, my dear."

"This is so good, I need more..."

And with that, Akira starts devouring the curry, with happiness being written in his eyes... this sight brought a smile to Asuka's lips... and just then, Law comes forth and pats her shoulder in a proud way, before whispering over to her...

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yes... I really owe you one in this... thanks."

"No, no, no need to thank me, I saw you had problems yourself and I am always willing to get the job done, whatever the weather. That's who I am."

"Hehehe..."

But while she happily watched her family enjoy themselves, with her GOOD food for once, she had to remember something, which she actually tried to forget... but she was still curious...

"Hmmmm... I wonder, what Jin is doing right now... I know, I told him to piss off, but... it makes me wonder, what's he planning on doing next, now with me having declined his offer of joining his mission..."

She looked in the direction of the open window and had to think of Jin's words.

FLASHBACK

Jin: "I am on the search for someone, that has the ability to surpress my Devil gene... of course, I can't force you to come with me, but if you feel like it, feel free to do what you want with this..."

FLASHBACK ENDS

"Hate to say it... but now... I am getting a little bit worried about him... what if he can't find another option...?"

Meanwhile at Xiaoyu's home, close to Shenghan...

(BGM for the situation: Cross Color)

Because of the one-hour time-difference between China and Japan, it was still morning-time over there in the village, close to Shenghan and we see a bedroom, with no other then Jin, laying on the bed, while lightly snoring, with a laptop, right next to him on the other half of the bed... but then, he slowly opened his eyes, as the sun began to smile down on him... and he yawned real loud, as he scratches the back of his head...

"Ohhhhh... I must have fallen asleep... what time is it...?"

Since his sight was still all blurry, because of his eyes still not being used to the sunlight yet, he blindly touched everything around him, until he felt something that felt like hard plastic... he brought it closer to his field of sight and once his sight became better, he could see, it was 10 A.M., Chinese time.

"Hmmm... did I really sleep that long...? Guess, that work-out with Xiao and me looking up for different methods of how to tame the Devil's power must have really pulled one hell of a number on me... anyways, time to get up."

And as soon as his bare feet were about to make contact with the wooden floor, instead, he got to feel something really soft and furry underneath his sole and once he realized, that it was Panda he was about to step on, he jumped in surprise and fell back, thus waking her up by accident. He immediately went for the defence in an almost comical way, as Panda slowly lifted her heavy physique up in a threatening way.

"Wow, I am so sorry, Panda! I didn't know you were lying there, I swear!"

But then, Panda simply widened his jaw, giving the signal that she was simply yawning and that she was more tired than angry...

"Phew..."

Then, she slowly got back on all fours, before leaving Jin's room silently... and Jin followed her into the living room, where there was Xiaoyu, just about to prepare breakfast... and while she was preparing the steamed, chinese buns, which were her favourite part of the meal, she was listening to some of her favourite tunes, thus she didn't even notice Jin's presence, until he leaned against the cupboard behind him... and once she turned around, she jumped a little and then began laughing.

"Oh! Good morning, Jin!"

"Morning... scared you there, did I?"

"Hahaha, it's no big deal! Well... slept well?"

"For once, my sleep was awfully alright for once..."

Xiaoyu then had to playfully wink.

"Guess me putting you to sleep for once was a good decision..."

But then, Jin became confused, once he heard that coming out of her mouth.

"Huh? You put me to sleep? How?"

"Don't you remember? You should have seen yourself, when I found you, still doing your research on how to ban the Devil gene back into your soul... your sore, blood-soaked eyes were the signal for me. My order was: Put Jin to sleep at once. And so I did... and..."

Her cheeks got a very light shade of pink, as she thought back at how adorable and peaceful he looked, while he was asleep... and how she soothed him to sleep with her softly brushing a hand through his hair, over and over again... she still couldn't get over the fact, that she and Jin now live in the same house and it clearly showed, how much.

"To make it short... it felt nice... giving you a nice putting-you-to-sleep-session..."

But suddenly, the food began to burn a little and so she comically turned around in an abrupt way to quickly stop the utensils from ruining the food further.

"Uh-oh! The breakfast! Jin, please be nice and prepare the table, I will prepare the food for us."

Jin showed a very thin smile, before nodding and slowly making his way to the dining room, in which he prepared everything for the breakfast.

"Sure. I will be waiting."

But before he left the room, he still had to compliment Xiaoyu for one thing, that is certain... judging by the alluring scent of the food alone, he could already tell, that Xiao has got to be a really good cook. He watched, how gracefully she prepared everything and it all reminded him, of how his mother used to cook, when he was younger... that alone made him smile even wider.

"By the way... your cooking skills aren't too shabby."

"Oh! U-Umm... thanks..."

"And when the smell is already alluring... it can only go upwards from here, I suppose."

And with that, Jin was off to prepare the table, leaving a blushing, but satisfied Xiaoyu behind. It really made her happy on the inside to hear compliments, especially from Jin... and soon, both find themselves eating for breakfast, while Panda delightfully chews on the tree-branches that Xiao gave her from outside... and while they are enjoying their meals, they were also watching TV at the same time... but when the Breaking News came in, Jin quickly swallows and made the sound go up to listen to it, since it was about someone assaulting dojos throughout China, South Korea AND Japan... the reason for his reaction, was simply because... a few days ago, Jin had a nightmare. He had this unknown ability from his mother, which is about getting dark visions in a state of sleep and not too long ago, the visions showed him a terrible fate awaiting to occur... and in his dreams, he saw this one man... someone that even Asuka herself got to know and hate... a man, with the never-ending hunger for power, with the ambition to become the best of all...

"The culprit has been identified, according to eyewitnesses from students of the respective dojos, that survived the ambushes, as the asia-wide wanted criminal, Feng Wei..."

That name popped back up in Jin's mind... and once he saw an amateurish recording of one of the students, filming Feng's assault on the dojo-master and Feng's face... he knew, that the nightmare didn't turn out to be just a dream after all... and Xiao could sense Jin's slight restlessness through the look in his eyes... he then thought to himself, as the report continued...

"Feng Wei... I think I heard that name somewhere before... wait, hasn't it been made public, during the 5th tournament, that there was a criminal Kenpo master on the loose..."

And when he thought about the vision he saw in his dreams, his insecurity grew even further.

"But... why did this one dream present to me, Hwoarang and Asuka getting attacked by him... what could be his motive...? Surely, he wouldn't dare, getting in their way for no particular reason..."

"Jin?"

When he heard Xiao's concerned-sounding question, he almost comically fell from his chair, but then he calmed down immediately and looked at her in a surprised way, while she maintained that worried look.

"Everything OK? You seemed, as if you were off into space..."

"Oh! Uh, no, don't worry, I am fine, it's just... perhaps, you're right, maybe getting to bed earlier would be the better option for someone like me..."

While he was trying to soothe his best friend with a gentle, thin smile, this didn't hold him back from repeatedly thinking about this vision of his, Feng Wei and what he could possibly want from both his distant relative and his loyal partner...

"But should he get the idea of going after them... I have faith in them, that they are going to make it... Hwoarang certainly isn't as full of himself as before, like I used to know him... and Asuka... indeed, she did a good job in injuring me pretty bad... but still... whatever is happening, I hope they are doing well..."

And much like his mother, he was also a little naive... however... THAT will become the worst mistake he could possibly make.

Meanwhile back in Osaka...

Akira Kazama is practicing right now with his students... but just then, when he was about to show them something new, one of the students mentioned something important...

"Um, Mr. Kazama, your phone is ringing..."

"What, really?! OK um, 10-Minute-Break everyone!"

"HAI!"

And with that, Akira is off, running to his bag and quickly grabbing his phone to then take the call outside... it was Baek that calls him... and once he told him the news, Akira couldn't hide his astonishment, but at the same time, he kind of felt glad... and once the call ended, he nodded confidently.

"His pupil will be in for one heck of a surprise..."

That evening, when the entire family was dining together, Akira had to come out with the news, that will certainly leave Hwoarang in a state of shock for sure.

"By the way, boy... your master gave me a call this afternoon."

This peaked Hwo's interest without a doubt and he focused his look on the middle-old Kazama.

"And? What did Baek say? Is he finished with the issues of the dojo?"

And of course, Asuka had to listen to this, because she still doesn't fully trust Hwoarang and feel insecure in his presence... on one hand, she will be glad, if he really is to leave...

"Well, let's simply say, he is going for a Plan B. Instead of fixing the dojo... he is going to move the dojo over here!"

"SAY WHAT?!"

Said both Hwoarang and Asuka in unison... but on the other, deep inside her heart, she felt grateful, that he helped her in getting over her losses and his contribution deserves way more credit in her eyes... however, she wants to stay true to her identity, as always, so she acts shocked, much like Hwo himself, who genuinely didn't expect this conclusion.

"So this basically means... I am going to stay here?!"

"Father, please! Does he REALLY have to stay here?! Isn't there a secondary option?! 'Cause I am NOT approving of this! You promised me, that I won't have to bother with this red-haired dork anymore, once everything is fixed at his place!"

"Hehe, sorry Asuka, business is business. But... why are you mad? So far, you actually understood yourself with him, sure, quarrels aren't unusual between you two, but come on... you have to admit, it wasn't and STILL isn't so bad. And besides, he might be staying in Osaka, but this won't mean, that he will be living at our place forever. As soon as their dojo is finished, they are going to move out. And hey, he and me are going to share our dojo, so that we can come to a compromise with the students. Students, who are interested in either Taekwando can come in the afternoon and those who are under our wings of training, they are going to get taught right after breakfast..."

"B-But-"

"No buts, please. It's decided and that's that. Don't make me lose my good mood, alright?"

Asuka looked away, pouting in a mad, but somewhat adorable way.

"Fine... I still don't approve..."

And to make matters worse for her, Hwo has to get back to his usual teasing on her.

"But hey, at least, I won't be alone suffering through all this, ain't I correct? Hahaha! You've made my life a living hell... and now allow me to repay that favour."

"Shut up... red-haired dork."

"Still, I can't believe it... I am actually going to keep on living my life here apparently... just when things get interesting. Guess, I should view this as a gift..."

Mitsuko had to wink.

"See? Trying to study is always the best option."

But then, Asuka stood up from her seat, ready to go to her room. She bowed friendly and threw one final glance to her rival and then left without another word... Hwoarang had to crack a laugh this time. Because normally, it was always her talking him down, but now, with these news of him moving over here finally being out, he didn't feel alone anymore, especially with his master returning to him.

"Who is the loser now, eh? At least, TWO losers are better than one!"

However, Asuka didn't respond... she simply kept on walking, until she reached her room and she let herself collapse face-first on her pillow, in her usual, childish fashion... she groaned and shook her head against the outside of her cushy pillow, while then kicking off her slippers...

"Oh goodness... what did I do to deserve this...? Will I doomed to stay with this dork, until the ends of time...? Screw my life..."

But some time has already passed by and now, Asuka had to rethink her words in her head, as she had to admit... after a while, she got somewhat used to Hwoarang's constant bragging... and every night, she somewhat... missed him...

"Nooo, what am I thinking...?! Asuka Kazama, concentrate...! I have no interest in this dummy... but... he does have the looks... kind of... no, he doesn't! He is a potential, overly sexual predator... who will get me, once I don't pay attention! I am sure, that he is pervy, much like every other guy at my school...! But I swear, should he dare to catch a short peek of my milk duds, I swear to hell... he is going to receive a fine kick in the ass...! Like I always do...! But... he is cool... he saved my bacon quite- pull yourself together, he is a red-haired rascal! A man, so full of himself, that... it's quite appealing- no, it simply proves nothing! He is an asshole! Yet he is reliable..."

She had to groan even louder, as it really got on her nerves, how she slowly grows fond of the Korean for some reason... even her typical way of denying facts, won't help hiding the fact, that after Hwoarang having supported her so many times already, despite their minor, usual and somewhat childish arguments... she slowly but surely starts to view him as a genuine friend. But her pride keeps her from accepting it... so she simply scoffs it off.

"I call bullshit on that... he shouldn't get any ideas. And if he dares to... he is going to be next on my list for 'endangered species of guys, that get the wrong idea about me'. That's it, screw this."

And with that, she turns off the lights and puts on her headphones to listen to her favourite tunes, before falling asleep... but while she was thinking to herself, she didn't realize, that Hwoarang has been standing before her door, while she was busy, letting herself immerse into her own thoughts... with him being leaned against the wall with a thin grin and folded arms.

"Well, she was quick to leave... guess, I really got her this time, eh? This is going to be fun, hehehe..."

Before long, he was already off, heading towards his room, before wishing Asuka's parents a good night and going to bed himself...

The next day...

This afternoon, after hours of boring school-lessons, it was time for sports... if there was one subject, at which Asuka simply couldn't fail, then it was sports. Whenever someone messed with her in terms of sporty activities, she always ended up on top and with her having become her confident and cheerful old self again, today was her day... whatever discipline she got requested to pull off, she would do it with little to no effort. All the girls from her class watched her going all out with glee and wanted to take her as an example to become more sporty themselves... but then, as the teacher gave the order for a 10 minute break... when Asuka put one foot on the edge of a little metallic fence to fix her shoe-laces up a little, away from her class, she thought she was getting a heart-attack when she heard a familiar voice...

?: "Need help?"

"Ah!"

And when she looked up, she saw no other... then Hwoarang, leaned against the metallic pillar, close to her position, with his trademark smirk on his lips and with both arms folded together in the usual cool way. She angrily then points her index finger at him, while beginning to blush madly out of embarrassment.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I dunno. Just chillin' out, waiting for your training to be finished, so that I can give you a cap back home-"

"Go away! You just had to show up at the worst moment possible, right?! You're the worst, now leave, before I beat you back home!"

"My, my, couldn't you be a little bit nicer? It's not like, I am going to harm you or somethin', what's with the bad temper? Got a baaaad day? A day, so despicable, that you'd like to bury yourself in your sorrows?"

His teasing, alongside the fact, that he is going to cause a shitstorm among her classmates, is making Asuka's blood boil and her blushing became even more intense than before, as she began steaming like an engine out of her ears.

"Didn't I make myself clear...?! I SAID, GO! GO, BEFORE IT REALLY GETS UGLY FOR YOU!"

?: "Asuka, what's the matter? Who are you talking to?"

Once she heard the female voice, her entire body froze in place and she became comically pale, because she knew exactly, from where and from who it came from... three female classmates must have heard her yelling and it must have caught her interest, as of what was going on between her and the Korean.

Classmate #1: "Is everything OK?"

Classmate #2: "We heard you yelling and-"

Suddenly, all three girls stopped in their place and when they caught a glimpse of Hwoarang, their hearts start beating faster and they view at the Taekwando master in their own romance-cliché way, with their pupils comically turning into hearts.

Classmate #1: "Girls! We have a lucky shot today!"

Classmate #2: "Isn't he a hottie?!"

Classmate #3: "Indeed he is, but he doesn't seem to be from here! But guess what, I DON'T MIND!"

But Asuka hated this kind of obsessive behaviour, as it was common among her female side of the class. Boys, good looks, make-up, etc., stuff that she wasn't interested in on any level at all, since she is nothing like them in general. Her tomboyish personality pretty much makes her the black sheep in her class... but luckily for her, ever since she started protecting her comrades from bullies, every single one of her classmates has quickly grown fond of her, but because of her social issues, she isn't very fond of being surrounded and worshipped like a queen, so she decided to stay an outsider, pretty much, the dark knight and protector of the innocent. She only does her job, but ever since she met Hwoarang... she felt this urge to become friends with everyone... however, in the current situation she is in, this was just wishful thinking right there, since it made her angry, when her female classmates aren't able to concentrate... but just when she was about to say something, Hwoarang said something she wouldn't be able to get out of her head for a long time now.

"Sorry ladies, but I am already 'taken', if you know what I mean... hohoho..."

Much like he predicted, this made Asuka go wild, as he made her believe, it was her he was talking about.

"W-WHAT?! YOU DARE, SAYING THIS NONSENSE, BEFORE MY PRESENCE?! I-I AM GONNA KILL YOU-"

"Who said, I was talking about you anyway?"

Said the Korean with a cool smug.

"Huh...?!"

However, her female classmates accidently had ignored, what he just said, as they were too busy, being in a really gloomy mood now...

Classmate #1: "Asuka... how do you do this...?"

Classmate #2: "I thought... you aren't able to put up with good-looking boys..."

Classmate #3: "Let us know, should you try something new again..."

"I am NOT Hwoarang's girlfriend! Quit making up stories here, or you will have a scolding to expect from me! Got it?!"

Hwoarang was amused with himself. There was nothing today, that could ruin his flawless, good mood and it showed... but now, he got a little serious and had to ask her.

"No, but seriously, I came by today to actually come and pick you up, once you were finished with your usual school schedule. I thought, maybe this could be my way of telling you 'Good work for not making me die from your not-so-terrible food', you know what I mean?"

"Wait... you came only for this? And HOW did you even come here by yourself anyway? Don't tell me, that dad has let you rent his car for today. Because something tells me, you don't even have a driver's license. And besides, I still have sports, so..."

This made the Korean chuckle, as he then began to spin some keys around his index-finger.

"No, I am not THAT predictable, 'Suka. Wanna catch a peek, of what I received, just today? Then, you can return to your loyal supporters."

"Shut up... OK, what's going?"

"Follow me... and why not find out yourself?"

And with that, Hwoarang led the high-school girl to the parking lot... and once they got there, the surprise was just massive for Asuka... before her, was a stylish-looking, yet moderately powerful-feeling motorcycle, coloured in red-orange flames, covered by dark-blue background. Hwo presented it with utter glee, shining in his pupils.

"Voilá, mon ami. My new motorcycle."

"Now would you look at that... from where did you have this? This monstrocity looks pretty pricey on the outside. Don't tell me, you grabbed off some money from my dad's account..."

"Hahaha! No, no, no, you got it all wrong, my friend, ALL WRONG. Believe it or not, THIS baby there, is actually SELF-MADE."

Now, it was impossible for Asuka to hide her surprise, as her eyes, comically shot wide open.

"Say what?! Are you serious?! Who would have possibly been so damn forgiving to give a relentless scoundrel like you, a damn motorcycle as a present, only to let you become an even BIGGER scoundrel?"

"Heh, you are not going to believe this, but... all this was made possible by no other than Ishi, Kazushi and Ugaki!"

"Huh?! These three baddies, that we already beat to the punch, for being completely disrespectful towards you? Is this there way of thanking you for not putting them to prison?"

"Bingo. And this is not all..."

FLASHBACK

Hwoarang is seen doing his every-day job at the garage, while all of a sudden, Ishi, Kazushi and Ugaki show up.

Hwoarang: "It was a normal day, I was doing my best to get the work done, before these three showed up and actually greeted me with a genuine smile on their lips, as if they seemed to have moved on from our conflict... which in fact, they did, to my surprise. But now comes the best part."

In the flashback scene, the Taekwando fighter is seen following the three to a really dark room... and once he got in there, he already became alarmed, since he knew... something is going to happen and whatever it was... it was positively surprising, now with the lights having switched back on and all he sees before him... was a brand new-looking motorcycle with flame-design even... and what he gets presented to him by six hands, surely left Hwoarang with the feeling of selfishness...

Hwoarang: "Guys... you haven't-"

Ishi: "No, no, don't misunderstand."

Kazushi: "We all built this with our own hands. Sure we had to throw some cash out to get all the pieces, but..."

Ugaki: "At least, it turned out to be something, right? And the design was Ishi's idea."

Since Hwoarang was actually planning on buying a new motorcycle with his own, well-deserved money, he now began to feel like a self-centered prick, since this gift comes from the same people he used to be enemies with before... and after he proved to them, that he was capable of so much more, they pretty much surrendered with little to no effort in fighting back... they did promise though to prove, that they have learned their lesson, but... he can already predict, that THIS is their excuse for everything wrong they did to him personally and it made him feel dreadful in this very moment.

Hwoarang: "B-But... you didn't have to... I-I never asked for THIS much... and how did you even know, that I am into motorcycles...?"

Ishi: "We made a little research about you, when we used to be foes and by mere coincidence, Ugaki saw through your files and found your personal info-bio... we didn't think much of it and since we are skilled mechanics, what could go wrong?"

Hwoarang: "I really appreciate this... but... you didn't have to throw your own money, that you three have worked your butts off to get, out of the window like that... I never asked for this..."

?: "Come on, don't be too humble, otherwise, you might miss chances."

He turned around and saw Kenji with his arms folded and a grin on his lips. He took off the glasses and looked at the Korean in a greeting way.

Kenji: "It's completely fine, my boy... we are adults, we are ready to take risks. It was a little bit dumb, but... you should know, my partners over there, are more than just partners and colleagues to me... for me, they can also count as a second family. We stick together and we fix everything together, not only in the mechanical context... yes, they can be pretty stubborn and pretty silly too... but what they most definitely are... loyal. And should something go wrong, we repay it, whatever is happening, that way, we can also show, that we stay true to our word... you gave us a present, that is more valuable than just a motorcycle and that's your trust in us."

Hwoarang: "And you really wouldn't mind... if I take your creation with me...?"

Kenji: "Of course not, we built it for you. And not only for the purpose being, to say sorry, but also to let you know, how much we actually appreciate your presence... you pretty much brought us back together and we are thankful for that, in all honesty. See it as a sign of our partnership. May this motorcycle make your life a tad easier... my friend."

The Korean genuinely felt touched by this kind gesture of receiving an apology-present by the same ones, that used to hate him and now respect him for the way he actually proved to them, that partnership is actually really important and how important... family is as well. He looked away, before shaking hands with Kenji, who a few moments ago stretched out his hand to go for a handshake.

Hwoarang: "Thanks buddy. I have no idea, how to thank you... and I have to apologize too for maybe having been too rough on you three..."

Kenji: "It's no problem, young one. Like Ishi used to say: Sometimes, actions speak louder than words... which is perfect for us."

The two then laughed a little, before Hwoarang slowly climbs on top of his new companion... it felt so comfortable and so familiar, as if it was his old bike... it felt so right. He pats his metallic racing-beast and gave the four a smug.

Hwoarang: "This feels even better than I imagined... now I REALLY feel bad."

Kazushi: "No need to. We put our heart and soul into this... so wherever you are, it's going to remind you of us four..."

Hwoarang: "...and I am going to honour this with everything I have. Thanks a bunch. And now... allow me..."

The four began to smirk a little, since they could tell from the burning desire in his eyes... he wants to put his vehicles skills to the test... so they went over, and let Kenji hit the button to open the backdoor of the garage, giving the Korean the signal to burst off...

Hwoarang: "Well... all I can say... see ya around! Tomorrow, I will come, just like I left."

Kenji: "We sure hope you do!"

And with that, Hwoarang starts the engine and once the rattling became louder and it began to burn, he then blasts off, out of the garage, leaving four smiling workmen behind... Hwoarang has never felt as alive as he did in that moment, he couldn't help, but let out a passionate scream of joy.

Hwoarang: "WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!"

FLASHBACK ENDS

"...and this is how it happened. Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Asuka simply scoffed and shook her head with a smug.

"You think, THAT'S unbelievable? Trust me, I have seen so many examples already, in which those, who I whooped their butts first, decided to make it up to me with some type of present... but I declined most of them, since I am THAT kind of vigilante, if you know what I mean."

"You are too humble... it's almost creepy."

"Shut up."

Then she took another look on Hwoarang's new motorcycle... this reminded her of something. Almost a month ago, her family decided that it should be a good idea to let her get a driver's license for a motorcycle, with the excuse being: Replacement for the worst moments possible. And now seeing Hwo having a new bike... it kind of made her curious... but since she isn't extroverted with her feelings, she keeps these thoughts to herself... for later.

"Now if you would excuse me, the school duty yearns for me once more..."

"And when you are done... care for a ride?"

Said the Korean with a smug. This made Asuka's skin crawl and her cheeks go a madly, deep shade of red... but it showcased how angry she was this time... but since her classmates are looking for her, she wants to keep things cool, so she decides to quit this outburst of hers and instead begin to focus once more.

"Fine... I will go along with your charade for once... but DON'T you even DARE, touching me, while I am sitting down behind... am I clear?"

"Crystal-clear. Besides, it should be YOU, who should hang on tightly, because... I am not the NICE kind of rider. 'Speed Demon' and 'Blood Talon' aren't my well-deserved nicknames for nothing, y'know, hehehe..."

"...Shut up and go annoy someone else with your bullshit."

"OK, screw me then. Low-blow... I will be waiting right here and now."

"Hmph."

And with that, she was gone... but her mood has slightly changed... despite him getting on her nerves, she had to admit... his bike looked really cool and wind-cutting... and it kind of made her heart pump faster, the moment she imagined herself, holding onto Hwoarang, during the ride... but she then slapped herself to concentrate once more and just like that, she was off to train with her classmates... and once the sun set, she returned back to Hwoarang, wearing her casual, high school uniform... the sight alone, made the red-haired speed-demon smirk.

"My, my... getting all classy, eh? Fine with me, but I am warning you. Once we go all out beyond the limitations of velocity, you might get dirty... just saying."

Another comment of his, that made her heart pump faster and let her steam out of her ears in rage.

"Whatever! Let's just go, BEFORE I REALLY CHANGE MY MIND NOW!"

"No need to get all pissy about it... just hop on and off we go. Throw your bag inside my seat and jump on. And just for celebration's sake... I am going to break a speed record on the streets for once."

His confidence about his driving skills, kind of... made her cheeks go even redder, but once again, she becomes angry to hide her true emotions and instead angrily stomps the ground, almost childishly.

"And I swear to hell, should you screw up, I am going to kill you in hell ONE MORE TIME!"

"Fine, whatever, do what you can't help to do afterwards... but now jump on. Your family is waiting... and my master."

"What? Your master? You mean, your Taekwando teacher?"

"Yup, I came to quickly pick him up at the airport and... what he thinks about my new motorcycle... hmmm..."

QUICK FLASHBACK

Baek starts comically screaming in fear shot wide-open eyes, as Hwoarang speeds down the highway with him laughing in a happy way.

"HWOARANG! PLEASE SLOW DOWN! I BEG YOU, I CAN'T STAND THIS KIND OF SPEED! DO IT NOW, OR ELSE, I WILL LET YOU SITUPS LATER!"

"No chance old-timer, I am way too much in a good mood today for that. So... not gonna happen!"

"AHHHHH! I DON'T WANT THIS! GET ME OUT OF HEEEEEERE!"

QUICK FLASHBACK ENDS

He laughed a little.

"He sure LOOOVED it."

"You and your vile thoughts... it's almost unbelievable..."

"Of course, he scolded me for that stunt I pulled off on him, but let me tell you... being able to show off your skills on a familiar vehicle once more feels so DAMN good. I have no regrets."

Asuka simply scoffed, before finally getting on with their plan. First, Hwoarang jumps on first... and then herself, after having thrown her bag inside his seat. She carefully wrapped her arms around Hwoarang's waist... and in the process, her hands got to feel his well-trained abs... which really made her realize now, how good-looking and well-built the Korean actually is... and feeling his muscles felt so alluring, it almost made her mouth go dry... but to her dismay, Hwoarang noticed her feeling him over down there... but to her luck, he didn't say a word, since he must have realized, that this wasn't the right time for teasing...

(BGM for the situation: Speed Highway 2)

However, after he speeds off, her grip became tighter around him and soon, she began to shriek in a scared, yet comical manner, as they speed through the streets of Osaka... it wasn't so bad with her bike, as she was used to going fast with it, but THIS was on a whole new level of ludicrousness. But soon, she stopped yelling, as soon as Hwoarang pushed the brakes and they came to a stop before their home... the Korean lifted his biker-goggles and began to show a really confident smirk, with Asuka still clutching onto him... he knew, that this was a sign...

"The Blood Talon himself... is back on the market."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	17. A New Threat Rises

**Chapter 17: A New Threat Rises**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

(BGM for the situation: Chun-Nan Hub Day)

Somewhere in the neighbour village of Xiaoyu's home, Shilongtang...

There was a Shaolin Kung Fu master, busy training his entire class of young students in the arts of that famous martial art. And everything goes well thus far, until he then announces a little break... but the peace, shouldn't stay for long, as suddenly, something breaks the door to the dojo and said door suddenly gets kicked away, making way for a sinister presence to enter... the students then stood up, bravely facing this unwanted visitor... however, before they knew, one of the students already found himself getting brutally beaten up. First, it was only a roundhouse kick, he was able to easily avoid, but then, like out of nowhere, came a heel kick, that he blocked, thus leaving himself wide open for a deadly move of this unknown fighter...

"...Iron Palm."

...and it landed a hit, with a huge payoff, as the student's eyes then rolled back into his head, before crashing against the wooden wall behind him, leaving a huge hole in there. However, instead of feeling intimidated by this, the other students bravely jump in to avenge their classmate, but it was futile... the huge man beats them all with little to no effort and when the master returned, he became somewhat nervous, as he watched the dark figure slowly approaching him, with all of his loyal apprentices laying face-down on the floor, pretty much giving the sign, they didn't stand a chance against him.

"Who are you? Reveal yourself!"

"There is no need to..."

But even the master didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming skill of the Kenpo master and it all ends with him being floored effortlessly, with the man, pressing his foot, brutally against the chest of the severely injured Shaolin master.

"W-W-W... what are you...?! And w-w-what do you... want from me...?"

"Hehehe... what I want from you, you ask...?"

Suddenly, the cloaked man slowly walks over to a table, that has a brown scroll on a stand... he breaks the table with a stomp, before catching the scroll to take a look inside... until he found a few signs, that meant something along the lines of "celestial"... he began to chuckle and puts the scroll inside his pockets, before going back to the downed fighter to look down on him.

"...I already have, what I want..."

When an eye and a little fraction of this criminal's face, became visible under the hoodie... it gets revealed, that this man was no other than... Feng Wei... who had to reveal a cruel smile.

"...which means, I no longer have any further use for you... weakling... die."

And with that, he stomps on the man's chest, which made him scream out loud in pure agony and his scream, alarmingly, echoes through the entire valley and it even reaches the ears of Jin, Xiaoyu and Panda, who were outside working in the garden... and once the Kazama heard that blood-chilling scream, he suddenly began feeling uneasy.

"That scream... it came from the north."

"What in the world was that?!"

"(Did someone just scream for help?)"

And with that, Jin, without wasting a second thought, runs back inside to put on his red-black hoodie-jacket and his sunglasses, before running to his motorcycle and Xiaoyu follows him.

"Wait! Jin, where are you going?!"

"I need to get to the place, from where that scream came from and I am betting with you, it came from Shilongtang. I am slowly getting the feeling, that he is here..."

"Who is here?"

"...Feng Wei."

This made Xiaoyu immediately go numb on the inside, as her blood then froze in her veins, once she heard that name.

"What are you saying, that can't be- wait... five days, we heard of him assaulting dojos before and he wasn't so far away either from us..."

"He must have gotten here, just to continue his reign of terror, while looking for the scrolls he is after... and something tells me, this won't be the last time, he is going to do this... hence why, we need to stop him."

He starts the engine, but before he could drive off, Xiaoyu stops him, by clutching his left arm.

"Huh?"

"What now? Do you really expect me to let you throw yourself into the action, all by yourself? With the danger of you probably not making it? No way, I come with you!"

"Xiao, please. Who knows, what this man might do to you, shouldn't you pay attention. You might be out-classed, compared to him. I know, you are a capable fighter, but... in my dreams, I sense something in him, that isn't from this world... should this actually turn out to be reality and NOT as a dream... then I won't stand for losing you, this time probably forever."

"And who exactly is going to treat the ones, that got pulled into his ambush? Last time I checked, you didn't even take medication classes, so you'd better leave the injured ones to me!"

"He is going to come after you."

"Then I'm going to take him head on, you can bet your honour on that."

The Kazama then had to shake his head... he cared a lot for his good friend, but he just knows, that Feng won't be an enemy like any other this far. And his dreams seem to be some kind of warning... but on the other hand, he had to admit, after practicing with her for a while now, that Xiaoyu has definitely gotten stronger... and arguing with her, would only be wasted breath. And her stubbornness doesn't help... in the end, he gave up.

"...quickly go and look for a medi-kit. Jump on."

This brought a little grin to Xiao's lips. Now she felt much better about this.

"And what about Panda?"

"She shall guard this house. I am sure, as soon as he is finished with the town he is in, THIS part of China will be his next target, without a doubt."

"Got it."

"When you are ready, come to me and off we go."

And with that, after giving Panda the order to guard over the house and quickly taking a medical kit with her to put it inside Jin's seat, she quickly jumps on behind, puts on the helmet, that Jin got in reserve for her, wraps her arms tightly around Jin's torso, before speeding off with him to head towards Shilongtang.

(BGM for the situation: The Verge of Despair)

Since Feng killed the Shaolin Kung Fu master, his time in the village was far from over. All the people heard the scream and the inhabitants were shivering with fear, not daring to leave their houses... they were praying for Feng to leave them alone... but he simply wouldn't go... as he was still on the search for a challenge and he could literally taste it... a worthy opponent should be around here somewhere... so there he is walking down the streets, looking around, all the while speaking with a raised voice, in an attempt to lure the ones out, that are capable of defending themselves, combat-wise.

"I know... that you fear me... I can taste... smell... and sense it... but do NOT be afraid! I won't harm anyone, except... for ones, who actually have the nerves to step out of their personal sanctuaries, that are your homes... and dare to challenge me. I am prepared... but are you...? I am waiting... and don't get any ideas about using cheap tricks... I could squash you in seconds, as if you were nothing more than a cockroach... so... who is next...? I already sent your strongest protector to the next world... who has the guts... to avenge him, I wonder..."

Suddenly, someone breaks a door open... and it turns out to be a young woman, with a knife in one hand, with the other clutching the door and with a look on her face, that could be described as irrationally angry...

"You... insolent...! I won't let you get any further...! You have terrorized China... for WAY TOO LONG...! And with you... now having murdered my beloved husband... don't expect any mercy from me!"

Feng has already turned all his attention to the woman, that has kicked the door of her own house open... and once his eyes fell upon the knife in her hands, he could already predict, what she was planning on doing... even though, he made it clear, that using cheap tricks... has simply no honour in his eyes.

"Now, now... I thought, I already made myself clear, when I said... any help, may it be by an object, or by a bystander... is prohibited in a fair one-on-one match... but I guess... you leave me with no choice then..."

The woman got herself ready for him... but before she knew, Feng was already there, only mere inches away from her...

"What speed...!"

"...I suppose, I'll have to teach you!"

Before she could do anything to defend herself, she already found herself in the Kenpo master's unwavering, merciless grip... it felt, as if he wants to squish the life out of her lungs.

"Like I always say... those, who don't follow the rules... have no shred of honour... and deserve to be punished for it."

"Y-You scoundrel... s-soon... y-you will land in hell...! I-I-I... don't care... a-about your rules...! You will suffer...!"

"I think, the only one, who is truly suffering right now... is you. And yes... hell may await me... but once my time comes... I will be all ready for it... to embrace death... it's really a shame. Putting such a poor, lonely soul like you out of your own misery..."

All the other citizens wanted to run out and help her dearly, but they were way too afraid, as of why Feng might actually do to them, should they dare to help her, getting out of this mess she got herself in... her two kids, watched in horror, with tears running down their cheeks, how their own mother had to suffer under Feng's tight grip around her entire throat, ready to choke her to death... and there wasn't anything, they could do to stop this man... and soon, it was ready...

"All those... that don't fight fair... don't deserve a second chance... and now, you're going to get, what's coming to you... perish."

The grip became even tighter, to the most painful degree, until... Feng suddenly froze, once he heard the familiar voice, and he let the woman go by accident in the process.

(BGM for the situation: Jin Kazama "T3")

"So you are one of those people, aren't you? But there is something, you should learn... there is simply no honour in killing others."

There he was... Jin, with Xiaoyu, fearlessly standing before the Chinese, facing him with no hint of hesitation hiding in their minds. The woman saw Jin, whom has taken off the sunglasses before, just so people can see, who he really was, as there was so sense in hiding from anything and she became terrified... but she had to admit... at this point, with Feng attacking the village, he... might be the last hope, they have. So she quickly ran inside, to hide with their kids, who were glad to see her, alive and still well. When the people peeked outside to see, who it was, that stopped Feng from slaying the wife of the already killed Shaolin Kung Fu master, they became terrified still...

Man #1: "T-T-That's Jin Kazama!"

Woman #2: "T-Two criminals in one place! T-That was the least thing we needed!"

Man #2: "I don't know about you... but... for some reason... I hope, the Kazama wins..."

Man #3: "Me too... it sounds ludicrous... but what other hope of finally being freed from this Feng Wei... do we have...? So far... NOBODY was able to stop him..."

Woman #3: "I just hope... we get out of this alive to get the chance to see the light of the day... once more..."

The Chinese had to chuckle, as he folded his arms. He most definitely did not expect this kind of surprise of getting the honour to face the world-wide known criminal, face to face.

"My, my... if it isn't the one and only, Jin Kazama... so you've finally decided to show yourself once more, am I correct? After all... at the moment, you are the least welcome around here..."

"I've heard about you... you must be Feng Wei..."

"Correct. But I can't help, but ask... what desire brings you here? Surely, you wouldn't come here with no ulterior motives."

"And you're right... I do possess a desire, that lead me here."

His eyes then narrowed and his voice rose a little, clearly indicating, that he doesn't approve of what the Chinese is doing.

"...which is stop you from getting any further."

Since Feng has been present in the sixth tournament, he has witnessed it all. How Jin was the host and how he started a war and he has seen it all... and it gave him a good laugh to see someone so shady, acting all so heroic now.

"Hehehe, the irony is really stunning here, isn't it...? After all, this comes from the same young man, that had to abuse his own power, to wage war, all across the world... and now you're here... acting like the saviour of these people. Wouldn't that be considered hypocrisy?"

"Look, I don't care what these innocent people think of me. I never did... they can view me as whatever they see fit, it won't even scratch me... but what I DO care about... is when some very skilled fighter like you... simply uses all the power, that he already possesses, all the potential for something bigger... for all the wrong things. Trust me, I know all about it, maybe a little TOO well for my own good... and let me tell you... those who abuse power... WON'T have a very bright future, should they not realize, what exactly goes wrong. And since I am aware of you still doing that to this day, ever since I've heard of you during the 5th tournament... if I were, I wouldn't be so full of myself anymore, because..."

The Kazama then steps forward and kicks forward, before stepping back to do his Mental Alertness stance, showing off, that he wants to challenge Feng to a fight.

"...I will be the one, to give you a pretty good reason, why."

Feng scratched his chin in an interested way, while nodding.

"Strong words... but when I look at you... then I can't help, but sense you slowly getting a few doubts about all of this..."

"As long as I stand... I fear nothing."

"So you really are interested in getting sent to hell real quick, huh? But... to remind you..."

His interested gaze fell upon Xiaoyu, who stood right beside the young Kazama, brave and untouched, even with his strict eyes viewing her all over...

"...fighting with a bystander is against the rules, you know this."

Jin had to show a really thin grin.

"Don't be sure. Who told you, I needed her help? This is a one-on-one match... and since you obviously seem to scream for one, you are going to get it."

He then looked over to Xiao.

"Xiao... go back to the dojo and treat the injured ones. I am going to take care of this."

The female Chinese nodded without hesitation, before turning around to leave... and she left with the words:

"I hope, you know what you are doing..."

"Well then... it's decided! The one and only Jin Kazama, shall be my opponent!"

"Why are we still talking? Why not let our fists do the talk instead?"

The Chinese had to smirk, before doing a massive roundhouse kick through the air and then spinning both of his arms to warm up, before ending in a typical Kenpo stance.

"I agree... shall we begin?"

"Just say when."

And with that, Jin and Feng slowly approached one another... not daring to look away from each and other's gripping gaze... and as soon as they got real close, the first one to make a move, was Jin, who quickly stepped back to go for the first frontal assault... a Swaying Willow to the chest of the Chinese, but as soon as the punch landed a hit... Feng didn't even move an inch, as if he didn't even feel that one, which surprised Jin.

"W-What?!"

"Hmhmhm..."

And before the Kazama could tell, what was next to happen, Feng has already pushed his second fist away from himself, as soft as a feather and the third hit, got caught by one hand and with the other, he decides to use his Iron Palm, to push Jin away... and it worked. The young fighter punched the ground, before jumping back up. He was puzzled over how quick Feng was to block his punches like that... However, Jin doesn't understand what "giving up" means, so he goes for another shot, by launching forward with a Leaping Kick, but to his misfortune... that one got also blocked with ease and all it Feng took, was simply pushing his fist against Jin's foot and that already stopped the kick from getting any further, despite Jin's weight and the next thing that happened, was so swift, that even someone as skilled as Jin, would have never seen that coming... Feng launched forward with frontal kick and Jin was ready to block it, but then... suddenly, Feng then attacked from the side and this happened so fast, that not even Jin was able to foresee this outcome... two kicks against his side, which he had to take in and it genuinely hurt, despite this not even being the real fight yet... he began to growl, as he then begins clutching his hip in agony... this made Feng shake his head, before chuckling.

"What is the matter? We didn't even properly begin yet and already... you don't really make a very splendid sight for someone, who used to be the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu..."

Now Jin became really curious... he was experienced, no doubt, but with what just happened, his own curiosity caught the better of him, as he was puzzled at how a huge and bulky fighter like Feng, was able to catch him off guard like out of nowhere, despite the frontal assault...

"Just, what the hell was that? I could have sworn, that was a frontal attack... yet somehow, he appeared right next to me and then continued to kick for real... this must have been some kind of trick... and whatever it was... it better shouldn't occur to me TOO often..."

He then quickly recovers from the surprise attack and gets into his usual stance again, before going for another frontal assault, just to see, if he was right about his theory, that attacks like these, won't show any effect on him... to test that, he goes for an Evil Intent, another one of his few predictable moves... a quick step back, then forward, followed up by two jabs from both left to right, which, as seen earlier, got blocked with ease by his new rival, before ending said combo with a low punch to the gut, but even that got countered with a light jab, but Jin was far from done. He then attempted to go for low-set attacks... like his Kishin Rekko. He goes for a front kick, targeting Feng's mug, but again, got blocked once more and he uses said moment of distraction to punch him to the chest, but that got blocked with ease too and lastly, the short roundhouse kick, targeting the ankles... again, no success. Since all his attempts of attacking the evil Kenpo have epically failed thus far, he couldn't help, but simply show a disappointed look on his face, while maintaining his defence arrogantly, while Jin continues to bombard him with every technique he knew...

"It's really a shame... I was so hopeful about you... but it looks like, you don't seem understand, how serious I am about getting what I want... perhaps, I shall give you one fine reminder... to prove to you, how hopeless this truly is."

As Jin went for a Wind Hook Fist this time around, the Chinese, instead of countering or blocking the uppercut, suddenly grabs his entire fist, before pulling him close to him, and before Jin could even bother, putting his guard back up, he already found Feng's entire wrist smashing against his Adam's apple. Feng then ducks, before sending the young Kazama flying, high up into the air with a Bow Kick to the chin, forcing him to spit blood in the process and to worsen things further, the Kung Fu master starts juggling the poor Jin through, starting with two simple punches against the chest, before uppercutting him with a jab against his stomach, impaling him with a kick afterwards, before then letting him make painful impact with the dusty ground and then sending him flying away from himself with a force-filled Iron Fortress, which gave Jin a real nerve-shocker, as he rolled across the sandy ground... while this happened, Xiaoyu was already outside, treating a few out in the fresh air and once she saw Jin, being pushed into a corner, she became concerned...

"Don't tell me, he is actually planning on- Jin!"

She wanted to interfere so badly, to go for the safe, but suddenly, Feng stops her in her tracks, with sharp, almost blood-freezing eyes.

"Don't you even think about helping him now, if you really want him to stay alive! And if I were you, I wouldn't toy around with my own health like that, because those who dare to cheat, deserve a slow and pain-filled death. So stay out!"

"Xiao... please, stay back, I will handle this..."

"Are you really sure? Since so far, you haven't made any real process, judging by your appearance and the lack of injuries on this creep..."

"Don't make me repeat myself... you heard, what he said, right...?"

Then, Jin lifted and shook his head to free himself from all this dust, before slowly rising off the ground and wiping the blood, that was running down from one side of his mouth... he then cracked his neck, as the impact, back to the ground, really got him well on the backside... but then he becomes still and begins concentrating... but even with her respecting Jin's decision to follow Feng's rules, it really gave her hard time, accepting the possible outcome of this confrontation... seeing the Chinese like that, as if he hadn't even been touched by her close friend in any way before, made her drop cold sweat of fear and genuine concern...

"If this keeps up, he might never win at this rate... I wish I could read Jin's mind right now... even if isn't much, it at least gives me proof, that he is not actually planning on doing something that he is going to regret later..."

While he calmed himself down, he backtracked a little to see, what could work against an opponent like Feng...

"Alright... frontal attacks aren't really effective against him, that's for sure now... but what should I do? He is blocking and catching each of my attacks, as if he already knows, what comes next... so yes, in that case... I guess, I should go with this..."

Jin pulls off another Mental Alertness, before then running towards the Kenpo master once more, making him believe, that he was planning on using the same stragety all over again and it gave the man immense satisfaction to see such desperation...

"Ah, this move again. Not so bright, like I first thought... very well, then don't expect this next one to be a tad lighter!"

But before Jin came too close for the man to even pull off an attack on him and he then goes for a thrust punch forward... Jin began to grin, before countering the punch and then jumping back a little bit. He came near Feng once more confusing him even more by punching and kicking him once, but they didn't even touch the Kenpo master, which made him question this tactic a little, but... before he could guess, of what could have happened next, he suddenly finds himself, almost impaled by Jin's Demon Paw, forcing to step back a little in hesitation, but Jin wasn't dumb and quickly step forward again and this time, he tried something new to see, if that would be a second option... before even coming close, sensing Feng already preparing himself for whatever was coming to him, he then crouched forward and rose again to dodge a coming punch from the Chinese, before punching the guy with a massive Wind Hook Fist to the gut and once that one landed a hit, that one actually hurt Feng, since he had to spit from the strong blow, but Jin was far from done... he then punches Feng in the chest, using this as a distraction for another hit and then goes for a Switch Blade kick, that actually succeeded in hitting Feng's face real hard, before making him retreat back with a Frontal Thrust Kick. Jin was satisfied with the results... he now knew one way, on how to actually inflict damage on his opponent, but he knew, this was WAY FAR from over...

"Alright... so surprise-attacks are the way to go with this one... but I am afraid, he might get the pattern down and it wouldn't become a problem for him later on to block my attacks once more and that'd mean: Back to square one. I need to find another way, on how to hit this guy..."

The Kenpo master fixed his jaw a little and had to show a little grin.

"Not bad... you really are quick to learn, compared to all these other fools, that dared to get in my way, without even bothering to make up an actual battle plan... but now..."

The man then grabs his entire cloak and throws it off, before letting his neck crack, indicating he is ready for more.

"...shall we end the warm-up and finally get to the real deal?"

Jin then starts fixing up his gloves a little to ensure, they are in the proper place, before doing a few stretching exercises to warm up.

"Should be fine with me. The faster we get this over with, the happier I will be."

"Hehehe... so be it. But I am going to guarantee you... you are going to regret these words..."

Says the Kenpo master, before going into a pose, that he usually does, when he meditates with plates for concentration-training. Jin knew this pose, but what he didn't realize... was that with this pose... Feng pretty much declared war on him... and soon, he shall learn that the hard way, how much he has been asking for this.

"I have no idea, what you are planning on doing with this pose of yours, but my feeling tells me, that I shouldn't let it go too far..."

And with that, the second round began... Jin ran to Feng and since he discovered last time, that frontal attacks aren't really effective against a Kenpo master like him, he had to go with something else... and he chose to rather go with the surprise attacks... this time, he goes for a Thrusting Uppercut but this time... to his shock, Feng didn't even bother, trying to stop him from hitting him... however, in this moment, Jin had to focus, so he couldn't let that fact distract him... he uppercuts Feng into the air and goes for a juggle combo. Two punches left and right, a left axe kick down to make the bad guy hit the ground, hard enough, that could count as painful, before then crouching forward to first kick him back up, then punch him in the gut, before then ending this devastating combo with a frontal thrust kick, making Feng roll across the sandy ground, however... Jin wasn't done yet. Now that Feng became a little defenceless, he then went for something special. He fixes his gloves up, lets his body spark red, before then running to him, starting with an elbow-thrust into the gut. He then proceeds with kicking the man three times up and down repeatedly, before then dashing forward again to do an Evil Intent, before sweeping him off of his balance with a roundhouse kick around his legs, before then charging up and then ending it all with a massive Wind Hook Fist, which genuinely harmed him this time, as he then rolled down across the sandy, hard ground... that made the entire the viewer-base around the two competitors yell out loud in joy, as it now actually starts to look hopeful for them... Xiaoyu was relieved to see Jin actually succeeding now... she puts one hand over her heart, before sighing out loud in relief...

"That was a close call..."

However, she then noticed, that Jin doesn't look satisfied with his work... and he slowly approached him, thinking that the battle was over and she checked up on him to see, if he really was alright on the outside...

"Jin... what's the matter? Wasn't that good enough? I, for certain, couldn't agree with that in any way, as you really delivered him a massive beating right there..."

The Kazama glared at the motionless body of Feng, before then saying this.

"Something is not right here... why did he do that? Why didn't he defend himself, when I was about to hit him with my uppercut?"

"Maybe... he was too surprised... at least for me, that last attack of yours sure was way too quick to follow with the human eye."

"Not so sure about this... judging by the pose, he pulled, before we started the second round... there must be a reason for this, as if he actually... WANTED me to attack him."

"Oh, come on, don't be ridiculous. Who would willingly let him- or herself get beaten up by someone else? Aren't you overanalyzing this a little too much?"

"If I really did... why am I still here?"

And much to their dismay, Feng has already stood back up and there he was, in that same pose again, making Jin all the more suspicious, before he then sensed something... something, that grew inside Feng... and this power felt like his for some puzzling reason...

"Wait! What's this...?!"

"What is it?"

"Why am I sensing part of my own energy... inside this guy?!"

Just then, Feng breaks the pose and begins chuckling sinisterly. He had to clap lightly to pay his respects.

"I really am impressed, Jin Kazama. I suppose, I shouldn't have underestimated you... but actually... I also have to thank you, for giving me a little bit of what you have in yourself..."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I think, it's about time to confess something... your poor mind, must be confused, with the question, as of why I let you attack me in the second round... it's simple. With my meditation pose, to put it simply, I opened up a gate inside me... that allows me to suck up the energy of other fighters, as long as its active and it's all made possible by either me receiving hits or me giving out hits... which means, with each attack, my own strength grows stronger and stronger... until, there is no way of telling how strong I really am anymore. But of course, there is a huge disadvantage to this... I can only fully use said power, once I canalize it... which is only possible, when I stand still and meditate... and shouldn't I do as said... well, you can pretty much imagine it yourself..."

This made Jin's heart skip three beats... he couldn't believe it... this whole time, he fought so hard and yet it turns out to be a fatal mistake...

"This is unbelievable... so if I put it the other way around... I actually helped you in becoming an even bigger threat...?!"

"Haha, see it as whatever you want, my good one..."

Even Xiaoyu couldn't believe, at what she just heard. She actually respected the rules and simply didn't want to get involved, but with Feng pretty much having exposed himself for breaking one of his own rules... she felt manipulated and like someone just pissed all over her.

"You honourless swine! You want others to follow your rules, and yet you are the one, breaking them! And to think, I actually listened to you, I can't believe it!"

"Oh, I am sorry... but haven't told you? There is another rule in battle and that is: Rules are sometimes only there to be outflanked for the right moment... sooner or later, you are going to thank me for telling you this, or not... it's your decision."

With that, Feng slowly turns around, ready to leave.

"And now... if you would excuse me, my business here is finished, I already have what I needed... but before I go... let me ask you one question and this question goes to you, Jin Kazama..."

Everything grew silent and once it came out, Jin's and Xiaoyu's blood froze.

"...aren't you related to another certain Kazama that I should be aware of? I heard, she still has business with me. Her father has another scroll, that I need..."

"...no. He is not planning on-"

Jin ran over to stop Feng from leaving, but suddenly, he stops in his tracks, as a strong wind suddenly slapped him across the face and within the blink of an eye... Feng was already gone. Jin desperately looked around, but no sign of him... he began to growl...

"...he is after Asuka."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	18. The Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 18: The Calm Before The Storm**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

Feng Wei, the evil master of the God Fist, has, two days ago, ambushed the village of Shilongtang and started terrorizing its inhabitants, just to demonstrate his power, but eventually, he was stopped by Jin from going any further with his plans, which he had in mind for the innocent people... but before he could finish it all, Feng, with an even more sinister plan in his mind, fled from the village, leaving with the fact, that Jin just helped him in becoming even more powerful, thanks to a newly achieved technique of his... and now, he has put his actual plan on sewing through China once again, just to look for the celestial dragon scrolls, on queue and instead now set his sights on Osaka... and Jin, without wasting a second thought, IMMEDIATELY makes his way to Osaka too, to get there before Feng... with now having faced Jin himself in person and seeing how much he actually has changed for the better, Feng could foresee, that the girl, that has started to hate his guts during the fifth tournament, has got to be related to him... and since he still had business with her father, he is going to get over to Japan and continue his malicious acts... with Asuka's family in mind, once more... and she won't be alone with this.

(BGM for the situation: Daily Life)

However, despite his coming arrival, it does not seem to bother anyone just yet... Hwoarang, without knowing what's coming to him, peacefully sits in his room, practicing with his rock-guitar in the morning, just to get his senses to wake up properly and to do that, he improvises, by playing "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots... Asuka was just randomly going through the corridor and once she heard that song play in the distance, she became curious...

"Is he playing guitar again...?"

Ever since Hwoarang has inhabited her home, every late afternoon, she could hear the Korean playing a guitar solo, which, as surprising as it sounds, she has grown fond of it for some reason... at first, she found it real annoying, especially since she always has to learn for school in the afternoon and hearing him playing his guitar solos, would simply distract her greatly, but... even with it being loud, it sounds so soft and non-aggressive at the same time, which could explain, why nobody has complained about the noises, that Hwoarang's guitar makes, yet... and whatever he played, she slowly seemed to have gotten the pattern figured out... whatever Hwoarang played, seemed to represent mood... and after the third week, most songs that he played, sounded kind of... romantic, passionate, good-spirited... and hearing yet another one of those songs get practiced by the Korean, she slowly moved closer to catch a peek on how Hwo plays... the lyrics, which get accompanied by Hwoarang's soft humming to get along with the tune, made her feel at ease... she softly leaned against the wall next to the door and listened to every single note of the song... but she then snapped back into reality, by slapping herself. And she comically starts complaining in her mind again, as usual.

"Come on, Asuka! Focus, focus, focus! Yes, he can play a damn guitar, so what?! He is no super star! However, he plays so well, it's almost- no, no it's not! Don't get any ideas, stupid, moronic idiot! He is a predator! But he... these tunes sound like, they come from the bottom of his heart... as if- no way, playing an instrument, does not mean anything! He simply loves doing it, just to get on your bad side, that's all! Which is funny, because I've never actually listened to rock music in general before... hip-hop is my crap, but... ever since he came here, he made me like it... noooo, stupid Asuka! He is a bad influence! A bad role-model! Don't accept him as one now, he never was one and he never will be, you got that?!"

Asuka then simply scoffed and calmed down to focus, since she wanted to train a little now, just to keep herself fit as usual... and as soon as she left, Hwoarang then stops the solo and looks at the ceiling for a while, all the while thinking to himself about something...

"Wow, I am surprised, how long I have spent time here already... one whole month... and now, me and my master are going to let ourselves get comfy here, as soon as our home is ready..."

Then, he had to recap on everything that he experienced here so far... the Homokoro gang, Asuka's family, his job and lastly, Asuka herself... it hasn't been too long, but already, despite all their constant arguing and getting-in-way-moments, he had to admit, that he has grown fond of her, after all this time... and he began to feel a little bit bad about having been involved to argue with her on a rare daily-basis...

"It's fun, getting on her bad side, can't lie... but now I am questioning, whether I overdid it or not... and my first guess, would be, that I did."

FLASHBACK

Hwoarang is seen fighting with Asuka in the dojo and it shows all the moments, in which the two argued, whether it was serious or not...

Hwoarang: "But whenever we fought, it wasn't so bad, because we would then come down and feel much better afterwards and when I consider her behaviour BEFORE her loss against me... man, I think, I should feel proud, that I FINALLY beat some sense into her brain..."

FLASHBACK ENDS

He then stands up, before nodding to himself, as he realized something...

"Wait a sec, hasn't Akira once shown me a theme park close by? If so... then I think... I know what to do, in order to make it up to her...! Yup, that will do!"

His guitar gets put back into the suitcase and he quickly changes into his biker clothes, before deciding to look for her. She wasn't in her room and she was nowhere else... except for the dojo, as he came to realize. He then makes his way to the dojo and just like he thought, Asuka was there and she was there, trying to break a massive sweat with her own personal work-out methods. It took him a while to realize this, but now that he looks at how powerful Asuka's kicks and jabs feel, just by watching them cut the air... the passion was all too present for him. He knew, that Asuka, much like him, loved the thrill of fighting until the bitter end and so far, she proved it well enough, at least for him... and when she wanted to, she could potentially even become as strong as his Kazama rival, Jin... also, his stares also fell upon her shell, that is her eye-catching physique... pale, yet creamy-coloured skin, possessing high chances of being delightful to the touch... chocolate-brown eyes, common, but with an unmistakeable hint of a roaring will to keep on the fight... and with her also flexing her muscles in the process of either kicking or punching all over the place, he could see the well-developed muscles... it was a wonder to him, how someone so small could possibly possess such enormous strength, both on the inside AND especially the outside. He had to admit, when he first fought her, and these biceps of hers came forth, once she started warming up, that he got a little scared right there, because of it... it was a wonder to him anyways, how strong Asuka really was... and by mustering her all over, he nearly drowned in her good looks, if he didn't snap out of it in time, before she noticed him staring and then realize, that he had plans with her. So, like usual, he enters the dojo in a cool manner and leans against the wall behind him, while folding his arms together, how he usually does and to compliment her and to make her notice his presence at the same time, he starts whistling in an impressed way... and indeed, this caught her attention, as she stops the combat session and turns her eyes to the Korean right in front of her...

"Talk about a work-out, ain't I correct?"

Since Asuka was actually working out to ignore Hwoarang for a bit, seeing him show up her, at her sacred place, was the least thing she needed, so her reaction was anything but a pleased one at that.

"H-Hey, w-what are you doing here?"

"Really now, one month, and you STILL see me as a stranger-creep of some sort, or what? That's not very nice, y'know."

"Says the one, who just entered uninvited! Not mention, sneaking up one someone is not less inappropriate, so announce it beforehand, got it?"

"Hold your horses, arguing isn't on my mind right now, so listen closely, would you?"

"...I am all ears."

"Believe it or not, but... ever since I have let myself get comfy in this place, I couldn't help, but repeatedly think about something... and that "something" involves both you and me. Since your stubbornness and my hot-headedness seemed to have known NO limits, why won't we simply pull the plug on these two characteristics of ours and simply cool down for a moment?"

"Aaaaand, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I am planning on inviting you on some kind of free trip through the amusement park.

Once the words "inviting" and "amusement park" fell, Asuka's eyes shot open wide and she starts shaking a little in comical fashion.

"Y-Y-You want to treat me to something...?"

"Yup. I thought it'd be fair to make us both even, so that we can live way better with one another in the same house or room. Y'know, loosen up a little, enjoying the moment, and all that good stuff, you know what I mean."

The thought of her and Hwoarang going out together didn't really stick well with Asuka. She felt flattered on one hand, but on the other, which was always the most dominant one, going out with someone, that used to be a troublemaker, at least in her eyes, he still is, isn't really her idea of cooling down with someone. It'd have to be someone, that wasn't as aggressive and straight-forward like Hwoarang... and since she has grown fond of the Korean, she couldn't hide a very thin shade of pink blushing on each of her cheeks, as her eyes were locked elsewhere to avoid eye-contact with the Blood Talon... just the thought of going out with him and him alone... made her think of all possibilities, that were anything but pleasant for her...

"Oh! Ummm... s-so I take it... you want to-"

"Yes, I want to have an excuse like that to say "I'm very sorry for everything that I've done to you"... which I genuinely am, when I think about it. After all, we both weren't the smartest back then and we behaved like children during puberty... and I was the one, who technically instigated it, so yeah... would you accept my apology, when I promise to do something with you?"

That was a positive surprise to Asuka... because as far as her experience with other males goes, most of them didn't have proper manners and whenever they screwed up on her, they didn't even bother apologizing for real... but seeing Hwoarang actually admitting, that he was in the wrong, already made her change her mind a little about him, but not that much... she is hard to get and it'd take a lot of patience with her... however, this was already a step forward and this pleased both, as the Kazama then admits herself:

"W-When I want to be frank... I-I also need to say sorry... I should have maintained my composure better... and we both already know what happens, when you don't watch your words, or your steps... and yes, I ALSO say: I won't ever get on your nerves like that again... if that ever really happened, because like you said, you also weren't innocent..."

"Hey, looks like we are making some fine progress here, this is something!"

"Whatever! And also..."

Asuka began to blush even more, because it was a whole new experience for her to accept a friendly offer from a troublemaker like the red-headed Korean... so she really tried her best, not to be awkward, but she could already tell, that she failed right away, but she didn't care any longer... and she still hesitates with her response to his offer. And with Hwoarang actually starting to enjoy teasing the young Kazama, she pretty much exposed herself to him on a silver tablet.

"Yes? Now, shall we go?"

"Ummm, well... you know..."

"Yes? Come on, stalling isn't my thing, you know that."

"And accepting offers from troublemakers also isn't MY thing, YOU know THAT! Oh man... should I... or should I not...?"

"I am waiting, I have time all day."

And then Asuka forced herself to finally say it. With all the force she had in her vocal cords, she finally came to a decision.

"Yes! Yes, I want to go with you to the amusement park!"

This pretty much gave the Blood Talon the perfect reason to beam one cool grin at her and he shrugged it off, pretending like she didn't even react that way just now.

"Now then, was THAT too much? And otherwise, fighting is a no-brainer for you."

"Hwoarang!"

"Yeah, yeah... listen, let's meet outside in about 20 minutes. I will be waiting for you in front of the house, alongside my brand new motorcycle-baby. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I will, once I rock this thing. Wohoo!"

And then, satisfied with his succeeded plan, he leaves the dojo, leaving a comically sulking Asuka behind...

"What did I do... to deserve all this...?"

Later in her room...

The young Kazama has just stepped out of the bathroom to cleanse herself from all the sweat she has forced out with her training and there she is, sitting on her bed, with nothing but a towel covering her otherwise nude, yet attracting physique, all the while taking off the towel around her head to dry and comb her hair... as someone, who doesn't really care all that much about her own looks, make-up isn't, never was and never will be her kind of thing to put on before something important like a "date" with someone she knows personally... so unlike other girls, she doesn't waste TOO much time with preparing herself for a meet-up... but she was already wondering, about what she should wear for the day, since despite Hwoarang's offer, it felt really good to finally having witnessed him having seen the error of his ways, at least from her point of view and since she is actually someone, who is always confident of herself, both on the outside and on the inside, she saw no reason, why she shouldn't choose her favourites like a new kind, that she has bought a while ago... her new outfit consists of a khaki-coloured utility shirt, accompanied by blue thigh-high jean shorts with a red tube-formed sports bra underneath the shirt... and to make it feel more like her style, she has even added blue, fingerless gloves and red kick pads over her otherwise black boots. And once she looked at herself in the mirror, she began to feel a little doubtful about this... it was her style and she would never ever change it, however... knowing males, Hwo would probably fall head-over-heels with her looks in her new look and it was her plan to avoid exactly that... she began to blush.

"I swear... if he gets touchy on me, while we are on this trip... I WILL break his nose...! He shouldn't get any ideas, just because I agreed to his stupid plan... although... it's been a while, since I ever was able to chill down and take a step back in order to relax... what can go wrong, after all, I have nothing to lose... don't I?"

She then sighed, as she slowly left her room and closed the door behind her, ready to meet the Korean outside... being really close to the edge all the while.

Meanwhile with Hwoarang...

He has already set up everything, ready for the little trip to the amusement park. Before he left the garage, he has made himself fresh enough to view himself as fabulous for this special day. He has always been a little in love with his looks, he couldn't deny it, especially with his dyed hair. While looking at himself in the mirror of his motorcycle, adjusting a few details, before grinning at the fact of how good he looks today, the Blood Talon had a few things to think about... like how would all this turn out?

"I wonder, what kinds of results this trip shall bring with itself... sure, arguing has pretty much become a common thing among us two, but... my intention was and still is to simply spend some time with her... I mean, the last time I've seen her in school, she doesn't really hang out with anyone... yeah, her classmates respect her and stuff, but this doesn't really count as "having friends", it needs to stay separated... shouldn't it be the correct time to finally make the first move? I am sure, her parents might approve of this idea, but will she...? Well, I guess, we will just have to find out."

And just then, as Hwoarang turned his head to the left, he saw that someone has left the house just now... and it was no other than Asuka. And he was quick to notice the change of her today's clothing... her new outfit literally forced him to catch a quick glimpse of her, as she now also wears a leather jacket over her shirt to protect her upper body from the coldness of the autumn days... and much like the first time, he thought about it... Asuka looked genuinely fine today... but to his misfortune, she noticed him staring and she had to say it.

"Don't even think about it... I didn't dress up like that, just for you, alright?"

"Never even said anything against it... I do wonder though, isn't it a little TOO cold to simply wear JUST a leather jacket, with your legs being exposed to the freezing weather all the while?"

She had to admit, despite her legs taking the cold better than her upper body-half, that she has underestimated this freezy weather, as she shivered a little, as a cold wind passed by her backside...

"N-No. I-I will be fine. I've handled worse than this. Whenever it was winter-weather, I used to train outside to toughen up my muscles, making it way more resistant towards any sort of attack."

"Aha... and you say all this, while you are shaking, as if a fly just stung you."

He noticed her freezing on the inside and this made her blush in an embarrassed manner, before yelling a little at him comically.

"And what about you?! You are only wearing a vest and underneath is nothing, how is that better?"

"You're not the only one, who received such harsh training methods to work with. My body never let me down."

"And may I ask you... where is your helmet, are we going to drive without your skull being protected by anything, like y'know... the wind or injuries, should you fall off mercilessly?"

He had to wink at her, as he is taking it slow and smooth.

"Who needs a helmet, when you are a pro like me? And wait a sec... woooow, concerned much?"

"Shut up..."

"Well, what are you doing, jump on! The amusement park waits for us!"

"Yeah, yeah... coming."

And with that, Asuka climbs onto the seat and puts on her helmet, that Hwoarang always keeps for safety purposes inside his seat... and just when Asuka has already wrapped her arms tightly around the Korean, as she still needs to get used to this kind of way of transportation... for some reason, she stopped being bad tempered and actually relaxed upon her arms making contact with her rival's physique... but she had to say one thing.

"Just so you know... keep your expectations low with me... you got that...?"

However, these words didn't come out of our mouth in an angry, or misbehaving way... they sounded soft, almost like music for Hwoarang's ears. And feeling her arms around his torso gave him the necessary warmth that he needed to get through with this... and it felt quite enjoyable to sense a now good friend of his feeling so much at ease... he started the engine and looked gently over his shoulder with a grin, before giving his response to her statement.

"...Roger that."

And with that, the two drove off to head for the place of where joy can be described in two simple words. The amusement park... JOYPOLIS.

Meanwhile with Jin and Xiaoyu...

The village was saved, but the threat has only been stopped temporarily, since Feng made it obvious, that he has now set his sights on Jin's cousin... and this fact alone gave Jin a horrible thought... Xiaoyu got equally concerned about Asuka's safety, thus, without further questioning, both were already on their way to head back for Osaka to go and hunt down Feng, before he could even lay his hands on her. So the moment they told Yuzuko about the coming danger, letting the two on-board once more was a no-brainer for a decision. And now, there they are... on the boat, with Yuzuko's men desperately trying to keep the speed steady, while both the Chinese and the Japanese are on the prow of the ship, looking at the horizon with serious eyes, especially Jin...

"How could I have been so stupid? I knew, that this guy had something sinister in the back of his mind and yet I didn't bother paying any attention to it... and now because of me, the lives of both Asuka and Hwoarang are at risk..."

"Please, calm down, I know, this was a mistake, but stop beating yourself up over that."

"That's such an easy thing for you to say. After all, you weren't the one, that got involved with this man in the first place..."

"I am just trying to sound positive here, excuse me..."

"No need to apologize... let's only hope, that we get there, just in time... something tells me, the more we stall time, the closer the countdown to their demise will move towards zero..."

But suddenly, the boat stopped moving and it stopped in-place, obviously making everyone on board almost lose their balance... but once the alert came, they realized, that an unpleasant surprise was waiting for them to happen.

"ALERT! ALERT! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

"Say what?!"

"We need to get back inside! Whatever it was that just caused the ship to stop, the core of this problem has to lay in the cabins! Let's go!"

Without further questioning, Jin was already on his way downstairs to get down the corridors of the ship, with Xiaoyu trying to catch up to him.

"Hey, wait for me!"

However, their little trip was interrupted by an explosion, forcing them to stop in their tracks, before jumping back, as someone just threw a chair at them... when the dust settled, clad-dressed people with bandanas and knives came to show... and the three licked their dry lips in anticipation, as if they were thirsty for some blood on their fingers...

Pirate #1: "Hoho, looks like we are in for a treat today, boys... let's take'em down, shall we?"

Pirate #2: "Yeah! If we show our boss the head of the one and only Jin Kazama, we will be done for life and can live like the kings!"

"Bounty-hunters."

"But how could they have guessed, that you were in here?"

"I doubt, they were expecting me to be on board here... but nevertheless, we need to get rid of them. If these people show up here, then there is ALWAYS trouble... and it could be possible, that these guys might be responsible for shutting down the engine of our ship."

"In other words, before we can get down to the core of this issue, we will have to teach them a lesson first?"

"Correct."

Pirate #1: "Haha! You two will be in for a world full of pain, hahahaha!"

"If only we had more time..."

(BGM for the situation: Egg Breaker)

And with that, the pirates start attacking the two heroes with little to no hesitation or with thinking up some kind of tactic for combat, making it fairly easy for the two heroes. The first pirate actually used a knife to attack Jin with it, but he knew what to do, the minute he saw the knife. He simply let the sailor strike at him with anything he had and just before the last slash could come, Jin steps to the side and grabs the criminal sailor by its arm, before pulling him close enough to perform his Double Face Kick, making the man's face kiss the floor with both sides of his head aching badly. All the while, Xiaoyu got cornered by the other two pirates, however, and this even surprised Jin, who was planning on making the safe, this is exactly what she wanted...

Pirate #3: "And babe? Giving up already? You're not fun at all!"

"...and you are disgusting."

Pirate #3: "Don't you mess with me, woman!"

And just as the knife should slash her tummy, she suddenly jumps high up into the air, as light as a feather and then silently and gracefully lands back on the floor behind the two bad guys, before elbowing the armed one in the back and then brutally kicking against the back of his head with one swift turn around, making him hit the wall with ease and the second one had to scratch his head, as he then sees Xiaoyu performing her famous and well-known Phoenix stance...

"Well... come and get me. A Phoenix is not so easy to get though..."

Pirate #2: "You're making it a tad too easy for me, you know that?"

But just as he said that, letting his guard down was the fatal mistake, that made him regret it immediately without further questioning, as Xiaoyu suddenly dashes forward on one knee to jab forward with her open palm, right into his tummy and that one blow was already painful, but it got worse, as she then made him fly with another palm jab forward, this time against the chest, making him kiss the wall and then his unconscious friend's body... the young Chinese was very pleased with herself and because of Jin having watched, he had to nod his head in an impressed way, before he remembered, they had something to do.

"Yuzuko! We have to look for him, I bet with you, he is already in trouble!"

"But look out for more of these guys. They could come from everywhere."

"Then allow me to watch your back, if that's fine with you. After all, I bear the title of non-damsel-in-distress to this day."

"...go right ahead."

"Just say when."

And with that, the two fought their way through the coming hordes of pirates to get to the captain's cabin on top of the ship... and when they arrived there, they could already see the mess that they were in... before them, they could see Yuzuko, looking scared for his life, while one of the pirates has both of his hands behind his chair, pressing a gun against his skull, all the while. He looks at both Jin and Xiaoyu with a threatening look.

Pirate-Captain: "If you two come any closer... expect his brains to be blown away!"

"If I were you... I wouldn't do this."

Jin and Xiaoyu, without making it too obvious, as they knew, these guys don't appear to be the smartest, even the captain, slowly moved forward to get to the remaining members of the pirates. And even if the captain doesn't show it, Jin could sense him being scared of him and his partner...

"I stand correct, you CAN'T do it."

Pirate-Captain: "Shut up! Of course, I can! Buddies, get him and give Jin Kazama's head to me!"

"I knew, he would pull off this tactic on us..."

"Don't let your guard down just yet."

"Same thing for you."

And with that, the two heroes simply beat all the remaining pirates with everything they had and because of their lack for battle experience, they weren't so hard to get down and it all ends with the captain even shaking harder... but since they had no intention of harming him, they simply went for a simpler tactic... Xiaoyu distracted the guy, by talking a little with him, all the while looking at him with puppy eyes, pretty much begging him to not do anything to Yuzuko...

"Please, mister... don't hurt him... what has he ever done to you? If Jin is everything that you long for, why won't you concentrate on him... instead of pulling others into your issues as well? Hmmmm?"

Pirate-Captain: "I-I-I..."

This was the perfect distraction-tactic... and before he knew it, he didn't realize, that Jin was already behind him and knocked him down with one strong jab against the neck, making him let go of the captain... Yuzuko had to sigh in relief and looked at Jin and Xiaoyu with huge eyes, that shone with endless gratitude, which Jin greeted with an encouraging little grin.

"T-Thank you so much, Jin! W-What would I have done, if you weren't there...?!"

"No need to thank me."

He then had to look over to Xiaoyu, because so far, she proved herself to be stronger than he first thought. Not counting the sparring sessions he had with her at her place, THIS was the first time, where she actually went all out and so far, she had not received a single scratch... so he had to nod in an impressed way, giving his old friend the sign for a high five. She rose her hand and both let their hands clap together.

"Not bad, Xiao. Not bad."

"Not bad? More like, it was undeniably awesome..."

However, then Jin's grin immediately faded away, when he remembered, that they needed to hurry to get to Osaka. But Yuzuko had bad news.

"I almost forgot, we need to hurry! Feng might have already arrived in Osaka, we cannot stall any more time than necessary!"

"I hate being the messenger for bad news, but... we are stuck here."

"What?!"

"These damn pirates must have jammed the motor of my ship, just to get it to stop... and because of it, it might take a few hours to fix the damage, before we can move forward."

Jin was obviously not pleased with this very fact... but since it wasn't his style to lash our at someone, he tried his best to maintain his cool and then nodded.

"I see... I should have thought about that earlier... alright, then let's fix this problem first and then continue to follow our way, but if possible, let's do it in fast pace."

"You can count on me and my men, Jin. There is nothing, that we can't fix."

"Good luck..."

While Jin focused on the horizon, his blood slowly began to boil... should Feng do anything to his friends, mercy should no longer be expected from him.

Meanwhile in Osaka, at the Kazama Dojo...

While Hwoarang was gone to have some fun with Asuka, Baek was interested in getting to see, on how Akira works with his students, just so that he can maybe learn a thing or two form him on which methods are the best to train your students with. So Baek allowed himself to "friendly invade" one of Akira's current lessons and he of course, was completely fine with it. He just randomly passes by and slowly enters the room, while the middle-old Kazama keeps his pupils busy with the warm-up... and as soon as Akira saw the Korean, he had to grin.

"Hey Baek! Well, interested in getting a good view of this?"

"If you don't mind, that is. As it's not part of my intention to disturb you or anything."

"No, it's no big deal, you're welcome to it."

"Thanks."

He then watches on the sidelines to see everything and after announcing the ten-minute break, he and Baek got together and decided to have a little bit of manly small talk.

"I have to say, Akira. I really felt honoured to watch you, teaching these young off-springs the power of Kazama Style Martial Arts."

"Indeed I am flattered to hear that, my old friend. But you know, what would make ME personally happy to watch? You, teaching your pupils, Taekwando. Yes, I have seen multiple times on TV and it's not an unknown technique by any means, however, witnessing it right before me, THAT'S something I never had the chance of doing, but with a Taekwando teacher like you now being around town... how could I miss this?"

"And if you want, just to test it, won't you try a practice round with me? After all, I want to see, how much your self-made Martial Art can compete against mine, I am really curious, believe it or not."

"I am intrigued as well. Once your dojo is ready, this shall be the first thing, that is going to happen..."

Both of them nod at each other, before getting to a more personal topic.

"Say... how is Hwoarang actually doing here? Has he made himself comfy enough to get on a satisfactory-level?"

"Oh, yes, he is doing just fine, trust me on that. In fact, so well, I could ALMOST call him a son. But of course, he isn't... at least, he wasn't that much of a handful compared to my daughter."

The two men had to laugh, because they both share one thing... they have special students, that are "unique".

"You think so? Hwoarang has played quite a few numbers on me sometimes. When he isn't practicing, he is as lazy as a Koala bear on a summer day."

"And my Asuka is just way too impatient to concentrate! Whenever we wanted to train together, I needed to calm her down first by meditating with her, when she was younger and even that was troublesome as hell, because she used to be very hyperactive."

"Really now? I suppose, these two should get along just fine..."

Baek's eyes then lit up, when he mentioned these two in the same sentence.

"...and speaking of them together, are they getting along?"

"Well... at the beginning their relationship was quite bumpy and it didn't always work out between the two, which led to multiple ridiculous arguments... in which I sometimes had to interfere, but... believe it or not, as of right now, the two seem to grow closer to one another, each day."

"Oho... let me guess, he is slowly... growing TOO fond of her, if you know what I mean."

"THAT... I have no idea, but when I can say is this: The two aren't facing one another with narrow eyes, whenever their gazes met anymore. Probably, they realized at this point, that this was just getting ridiculous and that continuing it won't help anything, so... yeah, maybe he DOES start to like her."

Hearing that from Baek made him smile on the inside. He was glad, that his own pupil was able to grow attached to their new home fairly quickly, aside from the constant arguments he got into with his business partner's daughter.

"He matured quite a lot... I am really proud of him."

"And I am proud of MY pupil."

"I suppose, letting myself and Hwoarang immerse ourselves here wasn't such a bad idea after all. And seeing him this fired up again... the last time, I saw him like that, was before this war during the sixth Iron Fist tournament, before all this mess really started..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean..."

"You should have seen that poor guy, he was training his butt off, until night settled in and he would always react violently to my attempts to comfort him... but now, I feel really good about my decision of now residing here in this gorgeous part of Japan, as he is smiling once more."

"Heh, which father figure doesn't like seeing the people around him smile again?"

"Oh, but that reminds me of something... has Hwoarang ever gotten in trouble for anything, while he was here the whole time?"

"About that... now that you mention, there was once a time, where everything got heated up, but before you ask, no, he wasn't the responsible one for this confrontation. It all started-"

Just before he could finish his sentence, the door gets kicked open, making it fall apart... and once the shadowy figure enters the room, it reveals himself to be Feng Wei... he seems to have reached Osaka in time... Akira immediately recognized him and stood up to prepare himself for him.

"You again... what did you come for this time?!"

"Oh, there is no need to worry, all I am after... is your family's sacred scroll... as it contains the lines of the celestial dragons... do yourself a favour and don't get in my way again like last time, unless... you want to end up in the hospital again..."

Akira sensed his urge to get through him without a fight... and his rage slowly took over, as he then attacks Feng, but before he knew it, he was floored quickly, but Feng then focused on him, as he presses his foot against Akira's chest...

"You old fool... so you didn't learn your lesson... people like you should know their place, you know that, don't you?"

"Ugh... w-where did he get so powerful... a-all of a sudden...?!"

"Stop!"

"Huh?"

Before Feng could do anything, he already found himself getting sent flying against the wall before himself... by no other than Baek himself, with one leaping side kick, as he then got into his Taekwando pose. Akira sensed, that Baek was so keen on protecting him from Feng. But he had to warn him as he choked out.

"Baek! Watch out, this isn't an ordinary fighter! The last time I was faced him two years ago, he wasn't THIS strong, but now... that strength just now overpowered me quicker than before!"

"Don't worry, my friend... I will handle him... I can't stand fighters without honour anyways... I suppose, I shall have to teach this young fellow some manners..."

"Be careful, alright?"

Feng quickly recovered from that sneak attack and as he turned around, he had to rub the side of his cheek with his fist, before beginning to grin in a sadistic way.

"A new victim, huh? And Taekwando master I see... I might need to play around with you a little longer than this old fool next to you... prepare yourself..."

The two brave fighters glared at one another... ready to decide to fate of what is going to happen to Asuka's home once more...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	19. How To Ruin The Moment

**Chapter 19: How To Ruin The Moment**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

It didn't take too long for Jin's sailing partners to repair the engine of the ship, before maintaining the route to Osaka... but at this point, they have stalled way too long, considering how quick Feng was to reach the city and now, Jin began to feel uneasy. He could sense, that the damage might have already been done... he looked in the direction of the horizon, as storm clouds can be seen in the distance, slowly forming a black cloud, presenting a dark omen for the young Kazama, who had to think and worry about Hwoarang's and Asuka's safety and Xiao was quick to notice his genuine fear of what the Chinese might do to them, because of his inattention...

"These clouds... I wonder, if he already got to Osaka before us..."

"Oh please, at all respects, don't be ridiculous. I simply can't see this guy being fast enough to beat time itself and get to Asuka before we ever could. Whatever it is, that you keep telling yourself, be realistic for a change..."

He looked at his good friend with narrow eyes.

"Realism is only a word with people of his kind. And he definitely proves my point."

"What point?"

"That he isn't like any other fighter I have faced thus far. You've seen it too, didn't you? Even I had a hard time, dealing with him and when someone, that is not even a Mishima, comes close, even if it's a small fraction, in defeating me... something is definitely wrong..."

Xiaoyu could tell, that his anxiety slowly starts to get the better of Jin. She understands him worrying, but to her, it IS kind of getting ridiculous to her, of what Jin has for ideas... unless... he probably wasn't kidding...

"If what you are saying is true... wouldn't that mean, we're too late already?"

"At least, from what we have seen before, he sure was quick to leave, without any of us two noticing it him doing it... one blink and he was gone..."

He then had to sigh, as he noticed himself, that he probably worries way too much... but knowing the Kazama, Xiaoyu can tell, he has a VERY hard time, especially after Feng having put their last fight to a halt.

"I wouldn't be surprised, if he actually planned this way ahead, which involves first trying to fight me and THEN go elsewhere to place, where someone of my kind resides... but from where did he know, that me and Asuka stand in relation to one another...?"

"If I were to guess... it was possibly a hunch to him at first... and during the fight, he realized, that you and her HAD to be related in a way..."

"THAT... doesn't sound too implausible..."

The Kazama shook his head and facepalms in shame.

"But I still can't get over my own incompetence back there, why didn't I realize sooner, that he was just playing with me?"

"For one thing... he did play one hell of a number on us... but on the other... nobody foresaw this... not even me..."

"Hence why we can't waste anymore time... the quicker we arrive in Osaka, the better..."

The longer Jin remained nervous and on-guard, the more Xiaoyu grew worried about him... something was telling her, that when he is behaving like that, something sinister shall await them, once they face Feng one more time and it won't be the confrontation alone... so she was thinking to herself in sad eyes...

"It's really rare, that I see Jin this up-beat... he never showed this side before, even when we were in high school together... come to think of it... hasn't he mentioned something about this dream that he had, that involved this creep and he began acting strange afterwards?"

She remembered. And thinking of what kind of effect it could have had on her loyal partner... her eyes widen a little in shock.

"Wait...! What if... his Devil gene...?! Is he actually... no, it can't be true... he wouldn't dare, right...? Sure, he lost, but mistakes do happen, but... would he...?"

Fearing the worst for Jin and what could possibly happen to him later, she decided to keep a closer eye on him and not lose sight of him for one minute, as it might become a fatal mistake... for everyone...

Meanwhile in Osaka...

There was Feng Wei... slowly stepping out of the dojo, victoriously, with the scroll of the Kazamas in one hand... and when he looked up, he had to chuckle...

"What fools... how could they have possibly expected to win with that level of skill? But then again... maybe the daughter of the owner here, proves to offer better... I shall enjoy it, once she finds me..."

And with that, Feng leaves a damaged Kazama dojo and an entire group of students AND two high-class masters behind, indicating that Baek didn't stand a chance against the Kenpo master and despite Akira not having really involved himself in the fight, Feng still knocked him out, because he didn't see any reason in letting him keep watching him... and to end his act, to make sure, that Asuka takes his bait, he left a note behind, that told the exact place and time, where the young Kazama has to arrive, if she wants to get the chance of avenging her father... the same goes for Hwoarang this time too though...

Meanwhile at JOYPOLIS...

Both heroes have arrived at the amusement center of Osaka. As they were walking around, for once, none of the two felt like arguing... and despite the freezing cold of the season, as toughened up as they are, none was really bothered by it... while the two were walking down the lane, full of sugary sweets and luck-related games, just waiting for them to get picked up, Hwoarang is the first to start the chit-chat, as he curiously asked...

"Hey ummm... sorry if I sound weird, but... I am curious, do you come here often?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just that... the way you walk through here... it makes me feel like you have been here plenty of times already... as if you know the place, like the back of your hand."

When he assumed that, Asuka had to look away a little, since she had to be deadly honest...

"You want the truth? You got it... you should know, it's really rare for me to find the perfect moment to chill and live my life... at school, my grades aren't the best... and as you've already seen, as vigilante, that makes TWO jobs for me to strictly follow... and whenever either one of my parents offers me to go somewhere together, I simply end up spitting some kind of excuse at them, as of why I can't do anything with them... may it either be my personal training schedule, OR my school work..."

She then looked at him with a slightly annoyed look, as she could kind of foresee, at how his response would be.

"There, you got it! No need to start boasting now about you having it easier than me, cowboy."

This made the Korean raise his hands in defence, as it turns out, it wasn't his intention to piss her off like that.

"Whoa, you got the wrong idea, I wasn't really planning on doing so in the first place. For once, I am actually giving you some room to breath for once... if that's totally fine with you, of course."

"Fine. Whatever."

But then, she began to look disappointed. Since Hwoarang was being nice to her this whole time, having even offered her a splendid ride here, she now felt guilty and fears that she might have ruined everything, before it even started... and seeing her like that, was certainly a surprise to him.

"Sorry... I didn't want to do that just now, really..."

Just when the Taekwando champ was about to reassure her, that everything was cool between the two, both of their two eyes fell upon three people arguing harshly around the next corner... this already made Asuka's instincts skyrocket and she was just about to get over there and deal with this matter... until she gets stopped by no other than Hwoarang, stepping in her way.

"Hwoarang... at all respects, get out of my way! I will handle this!"

"Nuh-uh-uh, not today, Mrs. Heroine."

"I won't repeat myself... out of the way, right now."

"And I thought, I explicitly said: No fighting today. Just chilling and let the others solve the problem on their own."

In this very moment, this moved something inside Asuka... because never before, has someone dared to get in her way like that. Normally, once she glares, anyone would give her a free pass, but not this time... even with her threatening to punch him, he makes no effort in letting her through... as if he was some kind of statue, that has its own will... but then she realizes, that he was actually in the right... again... and lying now, just to get her instincts run loose again, would totally go against the rules she has set for herself as a vigilante. She does need her fists to end the issue, but starting another fight, just to stop the other would make things only worse and because of them being surrounded by lots of people, it wouldn't be very smart to start fighting here either... so she quickly calmed down and points at him.

"...just this once, alright? Lucky bastard."

And with that, she just goes pass Hwoarang, who had to grin in a satisfied way, knowing he just did the right thing. And he thought to himself...

"Looks like she isn't capable of lying, is she...?"

So he followed her... but he could see, that she didn't look happy and he knew why. So he had to explain himself...

"Hey... don't tell me, you're now mad with me, just because I didn't let you do your usual ways of handling situations like these..."

But all he got as a response from her, was a punch, that he immediately blocked with ease. He had to grin once more.

"I knew it... she can't lie... she knows no other way out of this..."

"Just shut up, alright? Yeah, I am mad! Satisfied now?"

"Hey, why not calm down and let me treat you to something like..."

Hwoarang looked around... and once he saw stand full with chocolate-covered and sugar-coated fruits... his smug grew even wider.

"...like candied apples? Hmmm?"

"Oh please... that won't save your butt for later though."

"Maybe it will?"

"Fine, whatever... I am in."

And with that, Hwoarang goes over and buys two candied apples, fresh and sugary... once he returned, he hands one over to the young Kazama and the other is for himself. As soon as Asuka bites into the sugary goodness and swallows the first pieces... this couldn't help, but brighten up her spirits a little bit and it showed through the look of delightfulness on her face... Hwoarang HAD to chuckle now.

"I can't believe it, she is THAT kind of girl, is she? Just give her something to snack away and she will be quiet like a well-behaving child, oh my god."

And when he bites off a piece of his apple, he couldn't help, but smile too.

"And I must say... this is genuinely tasty... hmmm..."

As Asuka was delightfully devouring the sugary sweetness of the caramel apple with an adorable nom-look on her face, the two keep on walking together... and so, this was the sign, for the fun to begin...

(BGM for the situation: Roar of the Crowd)

The first thing, the two were to do, was to go to the arcades and play the rhythm game with the bongos. Since the two loved competition-games, this was just the stuff for them and soon, after playing through, Asuka came forth as the winner of that round... but they were far from done. The second activity involved going to the Mario Kart arcades to determine, who is the best driver... and as it turns out, Hwoarang came forth as the victor. And the third activity involved eating delicious sushi... but even eating for late lunch was like a competition for the two. The two ordered two large packages and in the end... it couldn't be decided, since the two were equal this time. But they had to admit it to one another: They were full. At least, for now, as it didn't leave an dissatisfactory impact on the two... after a little coffee break, the two decided to get on with their fun routine in JOYPOLIS. Next up, was a simpler challenge and that was to get a little prize with the crane-machine... but none of the two managed to get anything. And Hwoarang had to comment on that.

"That's SO typical for these stupid machines... whoever set this up, thanks for wasting all my time and money."

And the rest of the afternoon came down more peacefully... and one more act was to be done... as Hwoarang and Asuka were walking down the stairs, all the while unfolding their big lollipops, as they suddenly heard a little boy crying downstairs... once they reached the lowest area, they saw the little kid weeping, because of him having accidently dropped his lollipop... both then felt really sorry for the kid, since he didn't make the impression on the outside as well... so both looked at each other, before shrugging and then giving the young child both of the lollipops, they have just opened. And as expected, they little fellow began laughing childishly and innocent enough to make the two grin at one another for having done that. After that... the two then decided to chill for the rest of the afternoon... and the best place to do that, was inside one of the little housings on the Ferris wheel in JOYPOLIS... as soon as the two got in, they let themselves collapse on one of the comfy seats... but the awkward problem was... since it wasn't a big housing, the two were like crammed in, right next to one another, forcing the two to gasp and blush at the same time... but eventually, they calmed down and Hwo was the first to let out one loud and peaceful sigh, as he looked outside...

"Man, did we have plenty of fun today, ain't I correct?"

"Heh, yeah... but now, I am pretty exhausted... not only did we have fun, but we also managed to break one hell of a sweat back there..."

"Can't deny it... but what can you do, right?"

The Korean than began to blush a little, since he didn't really plan on complimenting her that often, but since this was his idea to get here with her in the first place, he saw no other way around it... so he went all in.

"And if you want my honest opinion on how I feel about all of this, and what we did pull off together today? I... genuinely... enjoyed your company... and that's saying a lot..."

When Asuka heard that, her eyes shoot wide open in obvious surprise.

"Wait a sec... did I just get a compliment from this red-head...?"

"And that's not all... whenever we played these games together, it felt so satisfying, knowing the fact, that I am not doing these on my own... I may have looked like it really hit me on the inside, when you won a few times, but actually... it was all show, I didn't give a damn... the only thing that mattered to me, was that we both were actually enjoying ourselves for once... and be honest, at one point, you must have grown sick and tired of all this constant arguing as well... so all I wanted, was to do something noble for a change..."

It felt so strange for the young Kazama to hear compliments from the same person, that normally teases her... on the inside however, ever since that day, where he made her see reality and motivated her to change for the better, she has grown really fond of him at this point and all this teasing only brought a worn-out grin to her lips... but since showing how she truly felt about things wasn't exactly her strength, the only response she could possibly give, just to hide everything, was a hidden blush and a blunt response.

"Oh cool... if you really want the frank response to this... I-I liked it too... a lot actually..."

"OK, guess I didn't do anything wrong, I suppose. Thank god..."

Hwoarang chuckled and threw his hands up in relief, but... his right hand accidently then ended up on Asuka's bare, left knee... the touch alone, made the two immediately freeze into place... especially the female Kazama had to blush a deep shade of red, as she gasps from his sudden, warm touch... and knowing her, Hwoarang just did something COMPLETELY wrong, as she hated physical contact from anyone, specifically males... and as he feared, he looked over to see the young Kazama charging for a punch, all the while her eyes shine in an intimidating light...

"Uh oh..."

"What did we agree on the topic of TOUCHING me, huh?!"

"I-It was a reflex of mine, I s-swear!"

She was just about to let him kiss her fist, when she then stopped in place without touching him in any way... she then angrily pulled back her punch and looked away in utter shame... she didn't want to that, in reality...

"S-Sorry... D-Didn't mean it like that... but also like I said before... for today, it is YOUR lucky day..."

The Korean then breathed up and sighed...

"Phew... glad, I didn't get to kiss your fist... anyways, I must say... I am really curious about you... how is it with you constantly being this bad-tempered? There HAS to be another reason, that should explain my complaint, other than that Hanabi of yours having left your life... is there?"

She then looked at him with a soft, yet melancholic look with no hint of resentment whatsoever, already giving Hwoarang a good reason to not feel alarmed, as she doesn't look like fighting now again...

"Long story short, I simply can't trust anyone around me..."

"Really? Just that? And why exactly?"

"I REALLY don't feel like getting into full detail about this, but... now that you ask, in a place where nobody else could listen to us and it's just us two... don't possess much of a choice, do I? Alright... as you said, you want to know, why I am always keeping this hostile attitude, wherever I am... well, that's something that has grown on me, ever since I was a child... you should know, despite my parents actually having a well-achieved life now, thanks to the dojo and my mother's new job as a nurse, that hasn't ALWAYS been like that... after my birth, both my mother and father weren't the wealthiest people around and because of that, whenever either my dad or my mum found a new job in another part of Japan, we always had to move, constantly, making it nearly impossible for me getting invested with the people around me, with my parents being only an exception... and after having come here, at the age of 7, you'd think, that nobody would then mind my presence... since it has always been part of my persona to be bossy and a little nagging even..."

And with now even stronger downcast eyes, she kept going...

"...but no. Instead, all that happened, was me getting treated like some kind of loner and outsider. And I didn't start using my Kazama Martial Art skills until I became 9 I think..."

FLASHBACK

(BGM for the situation: Isolation)

Asuka is shown happily walking to school and along the way, she sees three girls about her age... but even friendly greeting them... they simply looked away and ignored her, as if she wasn't there, thus making the young Kazama sad, as she kept going...

Asuka: "I wasn't very popular in school... wherever my path lead and no matter how hard a tried to be nice... it was all for the monkey's ass... especially..."

Then she is seen beating up a boy from her class, for having called her an ugly bitch... and she beat him up for having done something stupid...

Asuka: "After I have beaten up that one, little prick, that dared to throw all my school stuff in the trash bin... you should have seen, how mad I was... and ever since I beat up that little punk, I thought some might finally understand me, as punks of his kind weren't unusual at my school..."

But even after having done a little service for the school, everyone turned away from her... as they were afraid of her probably getting beaten by her as well...

Asuka: "...but much like my first debut in this new school, nobody wanted anything to do with me. So in fact, me having learned Kazama Style Martial Arts wasn't such a good idea after all. However, I was in luck..."

Next came a scene of a little girl with long black hair, about the Kazama's age, came forth to talk with Asuka... but there was no hint of fear in her eyes... and all that little Asuka could do, was smile in the most innocent way possible... and Asuka couldn't help, but sound happier than before, as she told the story...

Asuka: "...as I came to know the one and only girl, in the entire school, that did not have any fear in facing me... Hanabi."

Then she was seen, toying around with her... the happiness, that the young Kazama felt during these very moments, weren't able to be described in words, whenever she had fun with Hanabi...

Asuka: "And this was the sign for me: I shouldn't be alone anymore, as she gave me a reason to care for all this, for what we had together... heh, you should have seen my face, once I found out, that her family has been suffering the same fate like mine. You know, the whole business with us moving from town to town, whenever I better-paid job has been found and so on and so forth... and this made me only grow even closer to her... we were inseparable..."

All these happy memories however came to an end, as Kid Asuka is then seen shedding tears, after Hanabi having told her something heart-breaking, which made her shed tears as well...

Asuka: "...until we both became 12 and she came to tell me, that she had to move away from here with her family. As much as it pained me, I also felt glad at the same time, since her family had it worse than me. Their personally developed fighting style didn't get as much praise as my family's interpretation of Kazama Martial Arts... but even with her parents having done the right thing, the goodbye was heart-wrenching for me... and claiming, that it was awful, would be an understatement. I cried for days, even after she left..."

And there was Asuka, in the same scenario again... with all people ignoring her... and when she became 14, she is seen beating a criminal up to get him to leave the younger generations alone...

Asuka: "And as you may have guessed, everything became just like before, with only one difference... I came to realize, that even without Hanabi by my side, I was still able to protect the innocent from harm... and with the social situation becoming worse over the coming years, I knew... I had to do something to prevent criminal troublemakers from having their ways... and ever since that day of me having forced one of those goons to flee from me and the people I protected from him... I got in trouble for it... but in my view, it paid off... because I've finally found one of my favourite things to do... because I knew, Hanabi would have never wanted me to remain in misery forever... of course, by parents didn't approve of this at first, but after realizing, how satisfied I looked, whenever I did the right thing like that... they grew used to it..."

FLASHBACK ENDS

"And you might be asking now, as of WHY it doesn't bother me anymore... well, it's simple... with me getting in trouble, was no secret to my parents. Even as a child, I was very obnoxious... and yet for some reason, I never understood, even to this day, how they could possibly bear with a child of my attitude THIS long..."

Hwoarang had to chuckle at that, as she probably looked for an answer and he had it for her.

"Maybe because... you are their baby and they'd love you, no matter what happens? Because if it's true, that you have been like that, even as a little snot-nosy child... they sure must truly love you..."

But it became clear, she wasn't sure about it... and thinking back at how she treated Hwoarang, despite him having been genuinely nice to her all the time... she now felt awful about it... and the amount of regret in her eyes, that Hwo got to see, as she looked over to him, proved it...

"I wouldn't have so much trouble thinking about it that much, if they actually confirmed it themselves... which they rarely did, but... this is not, why I am feeling this negative right now..."

"Oh... really?"

"Yeah..."

Since Hwoarang proved to her, more than once, that he actually belonged to those kinds of people, that, despite their distant and even negatively apparent behaviour-types, have the potential to become really good friends with her... and denying, that she isn't like him, would only make her lie to herself... both are actually the same... and with her not having properly repaid him so far, for all the support he offered her... it only made her feel even worse... she began to blush, as she then looked outside the little housing with downcast eyes...

"And you wanna know something...? If you want my honest opinion about you... and even though, I actually hate to say it... you... you..."

She then said it with closed eyes, embarrassed of what his response might be...

"...you are actually abnormally alright."

When Hwoarang heard her saying that, his eyes shot wide open in honest surprise...

"Wow... she didn't just say that, did she...? This is new... a COMPLIMENT for a change...!"

She then pulled up her bare knees close to her body, as her eyes are focused on her feet.

"Honestly... I should slap myself for everything I have done for you so far... when I consider, how you actually taught me to better myself and how you tried to motivate me enough to not take every single mistake that involves me and my supposed "incompetence" to offense... I should be thankful and yet I didn't even... thank you once for anything... that's also because, that I wasn't able to understand how someone as understanding as you could possibly be OK with hanging out with someone like me... and yet, you came up with the idea of spending an entire day with me..."

Despite her rebellious tone and her entire nature in general, this realization conjures a satisfied grin on Hwo's lips... and despite the two actually having agreed to not touch one another, especially him her, he knew that this was actually the right moment to break the rule... as he softly puts his hand over her shoulder... and as soon as his hand made contact with her shoulder, she looked up to view him properly, only to see an encouraging smile on his lips.

"Hey... it was no big deal... I am not mad with you. Because, and you should know this, I am used to people of your nature. Trust me, you don't want to be in a certain part of town, where I used to take part in illegal street fights, before you got to know me... you think Osaka has it the worst, in Korea, it's no better and street fights are normally being made there for the survival for oneself and I was part of that, so this doesn't make me less guilty. Besides... and I officially confirm it now... I actually really like you. You and I are on the same wavelength, when it comes to this topic, as I left this life as a street fighter, only to then take part in the military, but this is a different story and I am going to tell you about it some other time..."

He pats her shoulder and then looked outside to check if their ride was over... and indeed, a few people are already waiting outside. So he slowly stood up and looked at her in a hopeful way.

"No need to drown in your sorrows any longer, 'cause I will be making sure to keep you on track, should something happen to you... you can count on me."

This announcement moved something in Asuka, yet again... her heart pumped faster, and she didn't mind it one bit, the longer she remains close to Hwoarang... so for the very first time, since their first encounter, she returns these words of his with a genuine smile and it slowly formed into a smug.

"Heh... you really are one hell of a dork."

"Always been."

Then she took his hand, that he offered her to help her get up from her seat and once they did, the door of their housing opened for them to leave... and to even make the end of this little trip proper, Hwoarang invited Asuka to a pizza with plenty of pepperoni and chili crumbles... and as expected, it tasted as good as it already sounded as a suggestion... only that after the last piece remained, the two then looked at one another... before eventually laughing together, as Hwoarang cut the last piece in half, so that the two have an equal amount... and soon, the two returned to Hwo's motorcycle... without further ado, the two jumped. Hwoarang as the driver with Asuka embracing him from behind and this time, she didn't feel embarrassed like usually... in fact, she also noticed that her leather-jacket wasn't thick enough to protect her from the freezing cold, specifically when they drive, so not only did she slowly grow used to this procedure by will, but it was also for warmth-purposes... but the trip back home was even better than the trip to the huge center, as it slowly became dark... in autumn, the nighttime becomes longer and since it was already 6 P.M., the darkness of the night has already settled in... but along the way, dark clouds slowly began to form in the sky, indicating that Hwoarang needed to hurry up, before the two get wet and catch a cold in the process...

"Oh well, it COULD spare us two the shower though..."

But they could already see from a distance, that police cars have surrounded the area, in which Asuka normally lives and they could see the colours of hospital transporters... Hwo slowed down and jumped off, alongside Asuka to see, what this was all about, so both parked the bike on the side, before asking of the police officers, what happened here.

"Excuse me, Mr. Policeman... what the hell happened here?"

"You haven't heard it? A rampage has occurred in the residence of the Kazamas."

When Asuka heard that out loud, she became alarmed and went from 0 to 100 immediately.

"What?! My house has been invaded?! How is my family?"

"You are part of that house?"

"Of course, the dojo there belongs to my family, I am Asuka Kazama! Let me through, I need to see, how my-"

Suddenly, the conversation got interrupted by a female, yelling for someone...

"Asuka, dear!"

...it was Mitsuko, Asuka's mother.

"Mother!"

Hwoarang and Asuka quickly jumped over the police car to see her and once Asuka saw her mother crying, she became even more alarmed, as she suspected the worst. Mitsuko then tightly embraced her and she returned it immediately, before looking at her in a concerned way.

"Mum, what happened?"

"Asuka... apparently, it happened again, we have been attacked by someone!"

"What?! From who?! And how is my father and Hwoarang's master, are they OK?"

"To our luck... your father has suffered the least injuries... but Baek..."

This made Hwoarang alarmed as well and even worse than Asuka, as he then grabs Mitsuko by her shoulders and looks at her with desperate eyes.

"How is Baek?! Tell me! Don't tell me, the culprit did-"

"No, no, he is now in a stable state... after I have found him and my husband, I tried my best to get their health back, just for a little more time, until the ambulance arrived... the same goes to all the students in the dojo... all of them are now in the safety of the hospital... still... all of them were in really bad shape, a few even got broken bones..."

This made Hwoarang feel a little better, but not by a whole lot, as he, much like Asuka, wanted to know, who did this to them, especially Baek and Akira... but for some reason, Asuka could slowly suspect, who it was... as this wasn't the first time, that her family's dojo has been brought to this state...

"Mum... who was it? I need to know...!"

"But Asuka, what if-"

"No 'what ifs', whoever did that, I am going to go personally to whoever prick did that to my family and will teach said person a well-deserved lesson!"

"You heard her...! Now spit it out, if you know anything..:"

Mitsuko really hesitated, as she was the one to find the note of Feng, that he left behind for Asuka to find... but since it was futile for her hide anything from her beloved daughter, she was left with no choice... she grabs into her pocket to cram out the note, that she found...

"H-Here... y-you won't believe it..."

Asuka took Feng's note and as soon as she sees his name in the title... the fire of vengeance began to flare a roaring fire and once Hwoarang joined to see, who it was... both knew what do... as the young Kazama then tightly crumples the piece of paper in her hand, her eyes narrowed and she balled her fists so tightly, that blood almost dropped from her palm, as her fingers almost BEAR into her skin...

"You piece of shit... you did it again and you just COULDN'T resist, could you...?!"

"Wait... you know this guy?!"

"You kidding?! As mum said, this wasn't the first time, that this piece of trash ruined us like that! Almost three years ago, he did same thing and my father ended up being hospitalized for almost six months! Don't you understand?!"

"Wait a sec, this is a two-deal-breaker now, got it?! If what Mitsuko says is true... that my master has hit it the worst, then don't even think about denying my assistance, because I won't let something like that sit on me, unpunished!"

Normally, Hwoarang was not the kind of guy to be vengeful towards anyone... however... since someone dared to attack one of his most beloved people without him being there to help... his rage grew with every passing second, thinking about what he did to him... and he looked at his balled fist, at it began to shake...

"He won't get away from me...! If you touch Baek... you touch ME...!"

Both young heroes then turn around, ready to go and find Feng in the location he just gave them... as the two glared into the distance with anticipation and Asuka began cracking her fists...

"Feng... you will regret the very day, you began messing with us...!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	20. Pride Will Have A Fall

**Chapter 20: Pride Will Have A Fall**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

As the already dark sky of the night grew even darker and the rain began to fall in masses, it wasn't too long, until one of the seamen on-board of Jin's ship sees the docks of Osaka...

"Land, ho! Land, ho!"

As soon as both Xiaoyu and Jin heard that from their cabins, the two immediately put on their rain-jackets and ran outside to see, that they have finally arrived... both look at one another, before going down to the lowest part of the ship... as soon as the ship docked to the shore, both would rush out with Jin's motorcycle... but then Xiaoyu, had to ask an important question.

"Wait a minute... what should we do first?"

"What we need to do first, is to see, if Feng has already been there, where Asuka and Hwoarang currently reside. If police cars are present... we will IMMEDIATELY look for Feng, track him down and defeat him and this time for good. He won't get away from me this time, not again."

"But... how should we find him, once we've seen everything? We don't even have any clue, where he might be and the radar wouldn't do anything, unless we know, where he is... which we don't. And I bet with you on every penny, that he isn't THAT stupid to simply leave hints behind... Do you have a plan?"

This gave Jin an idea... since he sensed in his dreams, that Feng is going to arrive anytime near their location... he knew what needs to be done.

"...I DO have a plan. But I am going to tell you about it, as soon as we have checked through everything. Now jump on, we can't stall anymore!"

"Mhm."

And with that, Jin climbs on his motorcycle as the driver, with Xiaoyu tightly wrapping her arms around her friend's torso for protection... he starts the engine and as soon as the hatch opened, the Kazama speeds off with an insane acceleration, making the two almost fly through the air, before landing surprisingly safe... and then heading straight for Asuka's residence... and despite police cars possibly still being present there, their unsuspicious clothing gives them bigger chances of not being spotted immediately and despite that, they won't be there for long, so it wasn't that much of an issue...

Meanwhile with Hwoarang and Asuka...

(BGM for the situation: Great Sea Is Cursed *Remix*)

Despite the rain just flooding over the two heroes, this didn't stop the two to lose their target from their field of sight... there was nothing, that could possibly quench their thirst for vengeance, other than to finally see Feng Wei, laying on the ground, defeated by their bare hands. As they were speeding through the dark and now freezing streets of Osaka, Hwoarang had to ask, where this shrine was, that Feng wanted them to go to, to meet up with him.

"Where is this Ishikiri Shrine again?"

Asuka looked at her phone and had to yell it out, since the rain and the loud sounds of Hwoarang's motorcycle were disturbing her...

"It's more in the west, close to the outside-lines of Osaka! Go to the right!"

"Roger!"

And with that, the Korean cut the corner, sharply to the right... as the two fought their way through the heavy rain... Asuka was sunk in her thoughts of everything that has occurred thus far... and now, seeing Hwoarang, being this determined to avenge his master, without even hesitating anything, made her see a completely different side to her new friend... she has grown to see him always being the moody and sometimes even grumpy, yet caring acquaintance... and now with him being entirely dead-set on taking down her arch-rival, she understood his pain all too well... it reminded of herself, when Feng almost brought her life out of line... she was angry as well, in this very moment, however... she never expected Hwo to be even angrier than her... and she began thinking to herself with somewhat sorrowful eyes...

"Now would you look at that...? Simple-minded, aggressive and ready for action... like me... and also, as stupid as me... but thinking back, in hindsight... I am still puzzling over how could I have possibly been so incompetent in rational thinking... the only thing, I can at least hope for... is that he doesn't do the same mistakes like me. But something tells me... I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it, even if I had to. Hehe... how funny... and normally, it has always been HIM, who kept me in-line..."

But she wasn't the only one, being immersed in mind... Hwo may have never really seen Feng before, but his actions alone, that were all set against his master's well-being, were reason enough for him to already despise this man... sure, Baek and he have had a complicated history together, but looking back at how this man actually brought him back on the proper route of life, thus proving to him his personal loyalty... he will always be grateful for what Baek has done for him. He was strict, he was moody and he tended to be violent... but on the inside, he'd never bear to see his pupil in the dirt, that is the harsh reality of life itself...

"I swear... whatever it might take... I am going to avenge you, Baek. You nagging and irritating old fellow always kept me in control, despite me having been a troublesome kind of teen... I never got any of the "luxury" of the youth on the streets and it's thanks to you, of my mental health still being in-tact... and when you gave me the chance to enter the army... I was never able to fully repay you for everything... watch over me, making you proud."

And then, he increased the speed, not caring of his recklessness and what could cause that to them along the way... the hunt felt like an eternity for the Kazama, until Hwoarang then stopped the bike to look at a sign, that read "Ishikiri Shrine".

"We are here... and it's obviously closed..."

But as Asuka looked at the gate, it was wide open, but it looked like, it had been broken up with force.

"...maybe not. It's basically his way of welcoming us."

"And me beating him to shreds will be OUR way of saying 'Hello'!"

Without even wasting any second, Hwoarang jumps off of his bike and ran through the gate, with Asuka gasping.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

She quickly follows him and runs after him. His recklessness, in this very moment, knew no bounds and this made Asuka's blood boil again.

"Moron, don't start running loose now! You don't even know, where this asshole is!"

"I will find him! You better stay out of this!"

Asuka began growling, before eventually catching up to him and then preventing him from running, by pulling him to her and now there they were, in the middle of the rain with their faces being merely inches away from one another, but both weren't in the proper mood for discussions and it showed, from how Asuka starts speaking at him with serious eyes.

"Oh, that's great, now you really start losing your goddamn mind! Just for a reminder, we are in the same boat! That's my dojo, that has been demolished, not yours!"

And then, it was Hwoarang's turn to grab her by her shoulders, doing the same thing like her.

"And there was my master involved! And it's him, who apparently got injured the most, so best believe, that I will be the one, making him pay!"

She then, grabs him again, in exchange.

"And my father got injured as well! What difference does it make, HOW MUCH someone has suffered under that son of a bitch, eh?!"

Another grab, coming from Hwoarang and this time, he presses Asuka against a brick wall behind her, with the two now being a little more protected from the rain.

"To ME, it matters! I haven't even been here for two months and already, me and my master are in deep shit once more! The process of our dojo being finished will be now delayed, because of this prick!"

And it was Asuka's turn again to talk sense down to him and her voice rose higher.

"And what about me?! Do you think, that MY family won't have problems again after that low-blow?! Students might be too scared to return doing what we are trying to teach them and Feng having stroke again, it won't get any better! Thanks a lot for reminding me, douchebag!"

Hwoarang already knew, that he won't get her off so easily... but there was something he needed to mention... and what REALLY made his flame of revenge flare up, time and time again.

"Damn it, Asuka! My master is sick! He is suffering from lung cancer!"

"...what?"

"You heard me! I don't care, what you are trying to say here! The point is, I am really sure, that this asshole must have first tested Baek and once he found out, that his lungs were his weak point, he SURE AS HELL must have taken advantage of that knowledge and beaten the crap out of him in a moment of him not paying attention! And who knows, how long he is going to be able to stay alive after that! Do you understand now? ...and I swear by my life, he is dead!"

Since that totally came out of nowhere, Asuka had to stare at him blankly, giving him the chance to run off again... but then, she quickly recovered and looked around, and came to realize... Hwoarang was nowhere to be seen anymore. She now really felt like an idiot and she began steaming out of her ears in rage.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!"

And so she starts looking for him, but he was already too far ahead for her to catch up... and so she began thinking to herself in anger and sorrow.

"I didn't know, that it was THIS serious with him... but this isn't an excuse to now behave like a moron! I know all about Feng and how much he has no idea of the word "mercy" and I won't allow him to simply let his ass get handed to this madman! He shouldn't make the same mistakes like me..."

But then, her thoughts were rudely interrupted, by a loud crashing noise... just a little further ahead. Her instincts went wild, as she predicted the worst.

"Oh no... don't tell me, he has already found him...! I gotta hurry!"

And with that, she ran to the temple, a little further ahead... only to then see Hwoarang, laying on the ground, trying to get up and then getting grabbed by no other than... Feng Wei, by the neck... just by looking at the very same man, that nearly brought her life out-of-line... she went from 0 to almost over 1000...

"There he is...! I have to do something...!"

"Hehehe... you are not really the smartest one around here, am I correct? And yes, I won't deny it... it was a joy fighting your master... almost to the death."

"Grrrr... let me go...! Don't think, that I am going to let you get away with this...!"

All of Hwoarang's threats, being thrown in Feng's way, felt all shallow and empty to him, as he clearly had the upper hand and so he proceeded to taunt the young Korean now.

"Why are you still so emotionally attached to this weakling? Shouldn't you already look for a new master by now? Because I should have at least expected competence from someone like a master of Taekwando... but he went down quicker than wanted, I wonder why... oh, that's right, he seemed to have some kind of illness, that prevented him from fighting properly, otherwise, he would have never let me win so easily... you know, I am correct, don't you?"

Hwo was steaming with rage, to the point, where he proceeded to kick Feng in the tummy, but the Chinese foresaw this and grabbed his foot in time, preventing him from attacking him like that.

"You do realize... that using cheap tactics like that, will only give you extra pain, right?"

"I SHIT ON THAT! YOU BASTARD CAN GO TO HELL!"

He then tried to kick Feng again, but he countered that with ease, with only a knee.

"That won't save you, just so you can get that through your thick skull, fool..."

"SHUT UP!"

He began shaking like crazy in an attempt to get free, but this slowly really began to irritate the Kenpo master, as he then began to speak again.

"Take this..."

And with that, he was just about to deliver a fatal blow to Hwo's tummy, until... he gets stopped by a knee in the stomach... by no other than Asuka herself, who catches Hwo and jumps out of the way with him... Hwo was panting, as he remained on one knee, with Asuka slapping the back of his head.

"You could have been killed, moron! Shutting off your brain against this fella is one hell of a BAD IDEA! Before you get scratched off the surface, better let me handle this, you got that?!"

"Yeah, yeah... shut the hell up..."

And with that, Asuka stood up to face Feng, eye-to-eye... and once he sees that delightful, anger-filled look on her face, he had to chuckle.

"I take it, you've seen my note, am I correct?"

"You bet, I have... and do not worry about how long you might have to spend your time behind bars, because I am going to pay you visits, maybe... two times per week... one for free, because you now have Hwo's master on your conscience."

"Hmhmhm... such bravado for a young fellow like you... and I thought for a moment there, that you've learned from your mistakes... but apparently, my predictions were just proven false... you couldn't beat me the first time around... what makes you believe, that it's going to be different this time?"

"I think, you're misunderstanding something here... I DID learn from my mistakes... every passing day, I was never able to forget what you've done to me. And don't expect me to forget it anytime soon, got it? I am someone who NEVER forgives... and NEVER forgets."

That last part had a strong sense of irony to the Chinese, as it baffled him, how she could say that out loud, without sounding like a hypocrite, since she just saved someone, that should know his place better. He began chuckling again in a disrespectful manner.

"If that's so... why did you save this failure right next to you, anyways? He is a weakling, much like his master and like the old saying goes: The weak also breed weakness. And this rascal over there could potentially be the ideogram, that sums up everything that I find despicable among all of you weak minds..."

Asuka knew, that he was in the wrong... Hwoarang has never been weak. He has a personality like fire and his spirit to never give up the fight, may it be on a physical or emotional level, have inspired her to keep growing bigger and stronger... it was him, that motivated her to better herself and it was he, who was always there, should she have felt down... so she stepped forward in front of Hwoarang, showing that she is proud of defending him, because he is worth it.

"...Hwoarang is no weakling. He never was and never will be. See him as whatever you see fit, but to me... he is my friend. He gave me strength, whenever I lacked it or didn't have the power to produce it for everyone. He reminded me, that as long as everyone counts, I should never back down and disappoint them, whatever the price and that I should see losing as a motivator to keep going forward, to become better in every way... these are traits of the TRUE strong."

That announcement surprised Hwoarang... that wasn't like Asuka, to start acting all defensive, because of him. It wasn't her style, but he was positively astonished indeed... he began to feel warm on the inside, as if she just freed him from his emotional turmoil for a moment there... but all that talk gave Feng a good laugh.

"Is that so? Protecting the weak is suddenly a trait of the strong? You want to know my version? As long as you have power, you can do ANYTHING and those, who don't have what you have, should be forced back to where they came from, before they could give in to the sensation of vengeance..."

He then begins to glare, before doing his usual stance with a stomp.

"...and then learn the harsh way, never being able to get in your away again."

This was the signal for Asuka to get into her stance as well... without fear, she began facing the evil Kenpo master, with no hint of hesitation in sight.

"Then I am afraid, the award of "Having Received The Beating Of The Century" should be given over to you and YOU only."

Hwoarang began thinking to himself, as he watched the two fighters getting ready for the frey.

"Well, let the match begin..."

And with that, the two fighters ran to one another, with Asuka jumping forward, ready to strike him...

Meanwhile with Jin and Xiaoyu...

Both have stopped close by, where the Kazama dojo is located and as expected... the police was still present, trying to find for clues on the assault... but thanks to Xiaoyu's clothing-choices, both managed to view it, without being detected by the men... and after having seen everything, it came down to the conclusion...

"The damage has been done... this means, he has already been here..."

"And now what do we do? We need to find him! I am pretty sure, Asuka must have gone after him herself... and Hwoarang must have gone with her, since he isn't here as well...!""

Jin looks at Xiao and nodded, as he knew, it was time to reveal, how they are going to find Feng...

"Remember how I told you, that I've foreseen him ambushing both Hwo and Asuka in my dreams... I am still questioning, how I managed to do that, but something tells me... I need to try this again, but this time, fully conscious..."

"What are you going to do?"

"Just watch. And let's hope, the luck is on our side this time... because I can't guarantee for anything anymore at this point..."

He then sat down on the cold floor, before closing his eyes tightly and trying to relax... and all that Xiaoyu could do, was watch and pray that it will succeed... she didn't know, what he was doing, but he was fully aware of what needs to be done in order to track down his new enemy's location...

"Come on... come on..."

Since this was his first time, trying to pull of this technique, he had a hard time, trying to relax and concentrate and this began to concern Xiao... especially, after hearing him silently cursing...

"Damn it...! I can't relax...! This cold is unbearable out here... I need to warm-"

Suddenly, he felt something warm being wrapped around his already covered shoulders... it was Xiao's winter coat... and with her then starting to softly rub his shoulders with her palms to warm him up more, he already began to feel nice and warm again, all the while, Xiaoyu's soft words, made him feel even more cozy... she began to shiver, because of her taken off her coat, but since Jin needed any help he could get to finish the job, it doesn't bother her, as long as he is feeling well...

"It's OK... does it work now...?"

Then... his body eased up more, as it felt like, he became one with the universe... his soul left his body for a short span of time and his spirit begins wandering through the world... until... he sees something... somewhere in the distance, were three people... and once the vision became less blurry, he could see... Feng Wei... Asuka and Hwoarang... and when he looked around, the place they were in, looked like Temple grounds... and once a shield with the name "Ishikiri" written down on it, popped up in front of him... his vision becomes blurry again and he returns back to his body with him Jin abruptly opening his eyes.

"I got it...! He is at the Ishikiri temple grounds...!"

Xiao breathed up in relief and once both stood up, Jin had to smile softly at her for having received such a selfless gesture from her...

"Thanks for the extra warmth, Xiao... without it, I might have never been able to concentrate enough to become one with the world around me..."

"N-No problem... y-you're more than welcome, anytime..."

He then saw, that she began to shiver like crazy again and so he quickly helps her getting her coat again.

"Put this on, before you catch a cold... now... like I said, he, alongside Hwoarang and Asuka are at the Ishikiri temple grounds. The radar just waits to be fed with that valuable knowledge."

"You bet."

She winked, before typing the name of the place into the radar... and it didn't take up until ten seconds, until the radar finally began beeping and showing a dot, that leads to the western part of Osaka...

"It worked! Now we can find this guy and actually beat him for real, right?"

"Yes... also this concludes for me... I might need to perfect this technique a little further... it could be useful for later cases..."

"And out of pure curiosity... from where did you learn this?"

"Well, I didn't "learn" it in the way you may expect, more like... something inside me told me, that I needed to try and meditate and this is where it all goes down to, I haven't really planned on doing, however... the critical situation called for it and my instincts went a little too wild, until this idea came to my mind... or... I got this ability from someone else..."

"Your mother?"

"Possibly... and no, she did NOT teach me that... for whatever reason, I don't know..."

Both then climbed back on their motorcycle and as soon as Jin started the engine, he had to mention it.

"Whenever we have to change direction, let me know, as soon as you can, got it?"

"Copy that. Let's go!"

And as they were speeding directly towards their wanted destination, Jin felt much more confident than before... and as they sped through the rain, he narrowed his eyes and begins looking really serious...

"It's not far anymore, hang on, Asuka and Hwoarang, I am coming!"

Meanwhile at the Ishikiri temple grounds...

(BGM for the situation: Struggle For Existence)

The fight between Asuka and Feng is already in full bloom. Each kick and punch gets blocked, that came from the young Kazama and it looked like, Feng didn't even try to defend himself, he just let himself flow in the wind, while simply raising a knee and a palm once in a while to block. But as stubborn as Asuka is, she wouldn't let him win over her like that... as she then dodged a critical blow from his Iron Palm, just in time, before doing a backflip. She looked at Feng and thought to herself...

"He thinks, that defending himself will save him from me, but... I shall prove how wrong he is, but... I just need to wait, for the right moment... right now, he is only playing defensive..."

But before she knew, Feng already went for a flying kick... she ducked and rolled to the side, as he then landed right next to her, before trying to stomp her on the ground, which she avoided by rolling away, before quickly jumping back up, beginning to block every single punch and kick that came from the Chinese, until she then used a parry with one hand, by slapping away his right fist...

"Eat this!"

...which caught him off-guard, before she then ducks forward and rises once more to grab him by his face to go for her classic "Falling Tower", which did actually show effect, as Feng's head hits the floor hard, with him growling in agony and since she wanted to avoid him using a cheap trick on her, she does another backflip to distance herself from him, even if it isn't much.

"Yeah, this is how you do it!"

Feng quickly recovered from that however and it showed through him rubbing his jaw a little, before smirking.

"That actually hurt... but I wonder... will you able to do that again?"

"You bet your ass, I will! Just you wait and watch!"

"I am afraid, the longer you stall, the closer your demise gets... and you will see pretty soon, why..."

Asuka didn't realize, that Feng is hiding this secret technique of his, which he used to defeat Baek in a flash, thanks to Jin lending him power through defense... and soon, she shall learn the hard way, what horrors he has installed for both her and Hwoarang... he then shows five fingers on his open palm, as he was secretly canalizing all the power he has gained thus far from the defense-tactic.

"But I am growing tired of this, so why not make it more exciting, by giving out limitations? I give you five tries to break my defense and should you succeed in defeating in five turns, victory shall be yours, however... shouldn't you manage to beat me in five turns... only fate knows what to do with you and your good friend over there."

Both Asuka and Hwo looked at one another, before the young Kazama starts cracking her knuckles, all the while grinning confidently at the evil man.

"Five turns? Sounds about proper to me! And too bad, because I might be able to beat you in less than five turns."

However... this threat of Feng's made Hwoarang suspicious, as he was still wondering about, how this guy managed to beat his master... and looking at his friend acting overconfident now, made him feel alarmed, as he starts thinking to himself...

"Why would Feng let her attack him in approval? Sure, that sounds weird already, but why now? And why does he threaten her, shouldn't she manage to beat him in five tries? This smells HEAVILY fishy... and I hope, Asuka knows, what she is doing... up until now, she only managed to inflict damage on him ONCE and if I were her... I would take it up and notch with my efforts..."

"Maybe I should teach you a thing or two... threats like that don't scare me."

And with that, she dashes forward, going in to try and break Feng's defense and whenever she tries, Feng counts down...

"Five..."

Her first attempt was to break his guard with "Inner Strength", but before she could do that, she first went for a distraction tactic, by making it look like, she wanted to use her "Demon Slayer", but... as she was about to, she suddenly remains duck, before quickly rising to use her "Inner Strength" on Feng's chest, but... to her shock, it didn't work...

"What?!"

...as Feng has used his own parry to absorb the attack and then block it in the process, but he was far from done with her, as she suddenly gets grabbed by one of her arms, only to be then pulled close to him and get hit with an elbow from him, before she gets kicked brutally away from him... that few hits may not have been much, but since Feng is still hiding that absorbed power, these hits were enough to make Asuka clutch her tummy in agony, before starting to spit blood. Hwoarang watched in horror...

"What a blow... and it didn't even look that painful as I imagined it at first... but was it really hard enough to force her to spit out her own liquids?!"

That immense force, that Asuka still felt on her wounds from that one counter from Feng, made her slowly stand up and cover her mouth to hide the blood...

"W-What the hell was that...?! My technique was flawless, why didn't it work...?!"

"Oh, I am sorry, do you really expect me to not fight back, despite the given odds? That would be a little TOO easy. And since you failed the first time..."

He then showed four fingers.

"...you have four turns left."

However, being the tough girl she is, she quickly recovered from that hard blow and prepares for another frontal assault once more, just to keep on testing what works and what not.

"You think... that should scare me?! Not likely, my friend! It will be over, before you know it."

She then starts thinking to herself.

"Alright, my first attempt didn't work out so well... but I can't afford to lose here, otherwise, I'd never be able to look at my father ever again... I failed one time to avenge him and today is my chance to redeem myself. Whatever happens!"

This time, she decides to go for another attack and this time, she decides to use lower-ranged attacks... like her famous Leg Cutter.

"This one move never failed me, let's see what it can do!"

She yells out her battle cry, before running straight towards Feng once again and not to try and fall for the same tactic again, she goes for another feint and this time, she attacks him with two jabs from left and right, which obviously get blocked, before letting him try to block her supposedly-coming double-jab, but it didn't come and what came instead... was a jumping heel kick from above, directed Feng's head, which got blocked as well, but since Asuka has put all her focus on her heel, this broke Feng's defense momentarily, good enough to go for her Leg Cutter Combination.

"Right below you!"

"Huh?!"

That one didn't get blocked, as it came too unexpected and there he gets bombarded from below with three sweeping Leg Cutters, before eventually getting sent flying in the air with an uppercutting kick in the torso, before he gets sent further flying because of Asuka's forceful "Exorcisor"... and as soon as Asuka turned around, she points at him with a confident grin.

"Sorry, but you asked for this epic beating!"

But then, her eyes shot wide open in shock, as she saw, how quickly Feng recovered from that painful combination... he began chuckling, as he cracked his neck to right.

"Impressive, you actually got me... but it wasn't good enough, unfortunately. And I don't think, I need to remind you, that since you failed once more..."

Then he shows three fingers, with a malicious grin.

"...you have three turns left, then your fate will be decided."

Asuka could have sworn, that that one combo should have at least made him flinch, but looking at him despite a few scratches, he didn't look all that bothered by it...

"Is this guy actually playing with me? So far, he doesn't really look like he gives a damn about this entire fight... as if, I am some kind of "amateur"... so what? He doesn't take me seriously, so be it... the ending will be all the more enjoyable for me, once I see his shocked facial expression, about WHY he lost!"

She then cracked her knuckles once more... but suddenly, she began to feel a little feeble... the strength in her knuckles slowly faded slightly, as if she hasn't slept for an entire day...

"What is this...? Why am I feeling so strange...? As if someone... woke me up, way too early...?"

As Feng sees this, he begins to grin again, as he knew... something starts to work on her. But since Asuka never shows, how she truly feels during a fight, she hides her exhaustion and looks confidently at Feng.

"You want another one of those? You got it!"

"Fine. I'd like to see you try."

"With pleasure!"

And this time, Asuka went for another combo... and it involved letting Feng attack her. So she allows him to get closer... he began to shake his head in shame, before ending his relaxing session and then charge at her with a jumping kick, but this is exactly what she wanted him to do, as she then grabs his legs, lets his body hit the stone-floor hard, before rolling on top of him, trying to snap his leg... but Feng wasn't so naive to simply let her do that, so all that happened, was her getting grabbed by the head from behind, before being thrown up in the air and then getting kicked away from himself... and once again, since he is secretly fully charged with absorbed strength, any attack of his, that manages to land on Asuka, will hurt more than normal... and Asuka begins spitting blood again and beginning to cough... Hwoarang however could no longer bear to see this anymore, since he feared the worst for Asuka, should the rest of the two turns come to an end... but Feng stopped him, by suddenly appearing before him, all the while keeping a glare on his face, thus almost making him have a heart-attack at how fast he was.

"Stay out of this. This is a one-on-one match and should you dare to jump in for her, while she is still able to fight... death is all that awaits YOU."

Since he didn't want to risk anything at this point... he quickly backed off and is forced to put more faith in his loyal partner...

"Also... since you failed a third time, my dear..."

He turned around and showed her two fingers.

"...you have only two turns left. Can you still fight? Are you brave enough for this?"

Asuka coughs up the remaining blood, that came up and rubs her mouth clean from it all, before slowly standing, feeling a little more feeble than before... but she remains as tough and brave as always.

"You ask... if I am brave enough? A true Kazama never quits! I fear nothing."

"That already sounds really good... then you better prepare, because if you fail again, it won't become a walk in the park at morning."

Asuka slowly grew to realize, that something was completely wrong here... whenever she came in contact with this guy physically, afterwards, it would feel like, she has been taken out of a drug-trip with plenty of exhaustion being the end result... and because of her feebleness having prevented her from thinking properly in her last turn, she felt how much he has weakened her... and it began to wear on her all too well.

"Darn... what is the deal with all this...?! Don't tell me, the longer I fight this creep, the further my goal to avenge my father goes towards the horizon...! I can't lose here! Whatever trick he is using to deceive me... he is going down!"

Her confidence and clear thinking began to grow for the worst, the longer she remained in this state... and it all became too apparent, as she then went for a way too predictable combination of punches, jabs and kicks, which all get blocked... all went according to Feng's plan and as soon as she grew tired, her defense became worse, giving him too much free space to attack... and soon after having kicked her away once more, and thus weakened her again... he knew, the last try should become his, since he has beaten her unable to fight further...

"Hmhmhmhm... it looks like, you couldn't beat me in less than five turns. Oh, how well you've contradicted yourself, it's delicate. And much like last time, the victor will be me. As already foretold by fate. Such a shame, that it has to end like this, because you actually proved to be more competent than your oh-so-beloved father."

All that Asuka could do, was to slowly stand up, swallow her pride and maintain that confident grin of hers on her lips...

"You haven't won yet, Feng... you're FAR from being the victor in this... just wait and see..."

Asuka had a plan B... but she knew, that it was Hwoarang's turn to jump in for her and since she has grown to like him on the inside, she puts all her faith into him...

But Feng's response to all this "foolish" bravery, was a loud laugh.

"I haven't won? Really now? Haha, you've grown so weak, your brain must have stopped working, hasn't it? But enough of this nonsense... like I told you at the beginning of this match... shouldn't you beat me in five tries... your fate shall be turned into a terrible one..."

He then slaps his hands together, before beginning to growl and once he did, the whole ground began to shake like crazy, causing a little earthquake to make the floor beneath him shatter to pieces and to form a golden-red aura, surrounding his entire body and releasing all the power he has collected thus far... all that Hwoarang and Asuka could do, was to watch in horror, how the evil Kenpo master revealed his hidden technique: The Mouth Of The Divine Dragon.

"Your fate has been sealed... now prepare to accept your fate!"

Meanwhile, Jin and Xiaoyu were still on their way to find the two heroes and they were half-way there... and Jin had to look in anger...

"It's not far anymore... just a little more, hang in there, you two...!"

And with that, Feng almost teleports to Asuka, before uppercutting her hard in the air, before catching her and then smash her against the ground. He then suddenly starts juggling her in the air with a jumping kick, before using a Boar's Tusk on her and once she was close to the ground, he nails her down with a Hungry Tiger and once she comes in the contact with the floor, he sweep-kicks her away from himself... Hwoarang became really angry... he wanted to help her, but he couldn't do anything, since his enemy became pretty much invincible... and once Feng raises his leg to end it all, he begins concentrating all his energy on his foot, that was about stomp through Asuka's beat-up figure... all she could do, was to stare at her coming doom, but she refuses to accept it... because she knew... she isn't finished yet...

"I refuse to go out like this...!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	21. Hard Decisions (Part 1)

**Chapter 21: Hard Decisions (Part I)**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

(BGM for the situation: Verge of Despair)

Jin's breathing has certainly become heavier, the moment they should be arriving at their wanted location... and they were making express time, but soon... should they realize, that they will be in for an even difficult time, as Xiao then had to yell, while looking into the distance, that was disturbed by all the rain dropping down on her field of sight.

"Jin! Stop!"

"Wha-! Ah!"

Jin braked hard and then both abruptly stopped, right in front of a demarcation with a three signs, that say: ROAD UNDER REPAIR! The young Kazama had to groan in agony...

"Please, everything but this and in the most unsuitable moment...! Damn it!"

"What should we do? Look for an alternative for a route?"

"That's what I'd be wanting right now..."

Both looked around and saw, there was a road, leading down the same road, that wasn't blocked with any signs... but it made the impression, that this won't become a shortcut, which made the young Kazama sigh in desperation.

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice... either that way, or stay here and let Asuka and Hwoarang rot in hell..."

"Let's just go."

And with that, Jin turned the engine back on and both then drove down to follow the lane, leading to their wanted destination... however, both knew for a fact, that this won't spare them the majority of the time they have already lost...

Meanwhile with Hwoarang and Asuka...

"Hahaha! Prepare to die, young one! Your time is up!"

Yelled out Feng Wei, as he starts concentrating all his energy on his right foot, that he has raised, ready to smash his heavy foot on Asuka's ribs and break them like dry wood... and with the beating she has received from the evil Kenpo master earlier, there was no way, she could possibly dodge this fatal blow, with her being too exhausted to roll out of the way, which brought her korean companion, Hwoarang, into a desperate situation... and he just didn't know what to do anymore. Should he simply attack Feng and let Asuka be a sacrifice of honour and avenge his master right away, or should he save her life, thus risking to receive the same kind of beating she has received before?

"Godamnit...! What should I do...?! He will kill her, but he will do the same to me, should I dare to get in his way, by saving her bacon...!"

All the while, Asuka had to look at Feng's foot, that was ready to smash all her bones to pieces with weak eyes, preparing herself for her incoming doom...

"Is this... how my life will end...? Dying so pathetically... to the same guy... I failed against once already...?"

"Before I kill you, I HAVE to pay you my respects... you put up a much better fight than this pitiful excuse for a Taekwando instructor... and that you didn't go down as quick as he did. Hehehe, but as the old saying goes: The strong reign supreme and the weak should know their place, before daring to get in the way of the strong... and this will be exactly what is coming to you... the consequences for your disobedience to this norm will be severe...! And now... die!"

He raised his foot higher, further tempting the young Korean in doing something unwanted... and all that Asuka could do, was watch... how his foot then made its way against her ribs...

"STOP!"

Everything then becomes slower, as Hwoarang then dashes straight forward to carry Asuka out of the way, catching the Kenpo master off guard, before the shockwave of that stomp just now made him nearly lose his balance... he then quickly turned his attention to Hwoarang, as he quickly noticed, that Asuka was no longer underneath him... but to Hwo's surprise, he didn't outright go for an ambush from behind, which made him breath up in relief, as he gently puts the young Kazama down on the ground, softly brushing a bit of her messy, wet hair behind her ear, as he inspected her... and while he did, Asuka then quickly came back to her senses and her eyes shot wide open in shock, as she wondered, why she was still alive... and as soon as her sight fell on Hwo, who was currently busy with inspecting her entire physique for serious injuries, she became real nervous...

"Y-Y-You idiot...! W-Why did you do this...?!"

"Did what? Saving your ass, before it could be handed to you? If that's the answer you were longing for, there you got it."

Now, for the first time, ever since the two have known each other, she began to genuinely fear for Hwoarang's life, as she could predict: He is going to end up like Baek... or even worse than that, as he didn't follow Feng's given condition. But since she never felt this way before, all that she could, was beginning to shake, alongside the tone in her voice, ready to scold him for his foolishness.

"D-Do you have any idea... w-what this will mean for you! H-He will come after YOU this time... you broke the rule...!"

However, his only response to all this, was an emotionless, yet somehow melancholic-feeling look, being thrown her way.

"...Do I look like I care? Do you seriously expect me, to let you get killed, all for the sake of a stupid bout like this? There never were any RULES to begin with. All this is, is just a sick game, where all humanity is lost and witnessing you receiving what was coming to you, there is no doubt about it anymore..."

Now Asuka really became scared... since she didn't manage to beat Feng, she couldn't avenge her father, nor Hwoarang's father-figure... and now she didn't want him to senselessly throw his life away like this, all for her, someone who was obviously weaker... she grabbed his hand, as she looked at him with angry eyes, that should hide her sadness...

"You moron...! Cut this wannabe-bravery out and don't even bother facing this monster! Do you really want to end up like me here...?! Is that it what you want, huh?! If so, you are even stupider than I thought...!"

He then swiftly, yet gently grabbed her shaky wrist and returns that angry looks of hers, obviously revealing, that he wasn't being brave right now at all.

"And then what?! So what if I get killed or not...! For me, there won't be a home-coming anyways, as I wouldn't be able to live with myself, should I now run away, living with the fact, I couldn't defeat the person responsible for setting my life on fire...! So I say, YOU better quit being such scaredy cat about all of this, especially in MY presence, you got that! Already forgotten, what I told you before...?"

"But what meaning will all this have... if you won't be here anymore...?"

Hwo could sense, that she was at the brink of shedding tears, judging by her stronger-getting shaking and he could see, she was trying to be tough, but it all goes completely wrong... and in an attempt to comfort her, he takes her hand, the same one that grabbed his arm before and gently squeezes it inside his both palms, trying to give her reassuring warmth...

"How about remembering it then, hm?"

The mere contact with Hwoarang's hands made her feel awkward, but also way more safe than before... the chances of victory were slim, but giving up now would result in nothing but agony either way... so she slowly grew to accept his and her fate... and she gently whispered to herself, as her eyes move slowly downwards...

"This is why I hate you... and that A LOT..."

Hwoarang began to smirk, as he then stood back up and turned around to face Feng and whatever he was planning for him, for not having followed his order... but surprisingly, Feng had to scratch his chin in interest...

"You do realize, that those who don't follow rules deserve to be punished, don't you?"

"I do, and to be frank, I don't care..."

"Why did you save this weakling over there anyhow? She tried to protect you, failed at it and now it's you doing it in return... what makes you still stick to her?"

"You wouldn't understand... but one thing is for sure... she is anything BUT a weakling. I have spent enough time with her to get to this conclusion... she defended me and now it's time for me to repay that favour of hers... otherwise, how would I live with myself?"

"Interesting... so you two see one another as equals now, because of each of you, constantly licking each others wounds..."

This gave the evil Kenpo master a cruel idea... he wanted to see, if Hwoarang's words proved to hold merit to them and if he is really loyal to Asuka... so he gets into his trademark pose again, before beginning to glare at the Korean with eagle-like eyes...

"If that is true, then I think it's better, if I test you, just to amuse myself at watching you senselessly trying to defend your ideals."

Hwo starts jumping up and down, before doing his usual combat stance, while a little cocky grin formed on his lips.

"And I will be the one, left standing, laughing the loudest."

"I'd like to see that..."

The young Taekwando master then thought to himself, as the wind epically brushes across his cheeks, making his red hair dance in the soft, yet strong breeze.

"Baek... watch over me. I am going to make you proud."

And with that, the two ran at one another, ready to clash...

(BGM for the situation: In Full Bloom)

The first attack, was Hwoarang throwing a heel kick at the Chinese from above, which as expected, gets easily blocked, but this gave the Korean an open space for him to hit, as he wasn't paying attention to his lower area and he ended up getting kicked down there real hard with his second foot, forcing him to distance himself away from Hwo with him landing almost elegantly back on the ground. But he was far from finished with him. As he then went for another assault... but since he was fighting on an entirely different league than Asuka, having dealt with armed criminals for a long time, ever since him having joined the military, he could handle him easier than his loyal companion and it showed through his next tactical assault. He taunted Feng into coming closer, before doing a Flamingo step backwards, before eventually doing a "Flamingo Rocket", kicking the massive Kenpo master right in the chest and it was powerful enough to make him flinch back... however, much like Asuka, he was planning on using the same trick again and this time, he would show no mercy, especially since he was the one to disturb his match with the young Kazama. And despite the pain, it didn't make Feng mad and most likely motivated him further to taunt Hwoarang... and it showed with his counterattack. As expected, the vengeful Taekwando master ran towards the God Fist master, just like he asked for it, as he waited for the right moment to strike and he canalizes all the power he absorbed through Hwoarang's attack thus far. And just as he was about to strike him across the face with a roundhouse kick, Feng opens his eyes, dashes back within one blink of an eye and then quickly steps forward to ram Hwo with an "Iron Fortress" and because of him having used his own energy to repay him for his failed attempts to injure him, the force of the ram has been doubled, making Hwo roll across the wet floor, before eventually landing close to a tree... despite him laying on the ground, he could somehow sense Feng's presence getting closer and closer... and before he could stomp him, he rolled aside and kicks the Chinese from below against the stomach, before jumping forward to pin him to the ground himself.

"Ha! You really think ramming me would hold me down?"

And then, the Korean used one of his famous techniques on Feng. He rolled over to kneel right before his face, before pulling off the really painful "Roll and Choke" on him, which made the Kenpo master spit up blood from how much that genuinely hurt this time. But again, all it did, was feed him with more power, however... there was the weakness: Should he get attacked without pause, he won't have a moment of peace to relax and keep all the absorbed power under his control. And since he needed a moment to rest, he waited for the right moment again, as he watched Hwo boast with his little victory.

"Not so tough now, are you? Just as a reminder, I am not Asuka. You play with me, my levels are on a whole new level..."

"...and that is of foolishness."

And before he knew it, Hwoarang found himself being grabbed by his throat, with a grip, that made him almost choke to death, before he is being lifted off the ground and then getting thrown away from himself to gather the wanted distance. Hwo's little flight ended with him, crashing against a stone-pillar, that was part of one of the temples in the area... he rubbed the back of his head and growled in agony...

"That hurt... damn it..."

And as he slowly regained his balance, his gaze fell on Feng in the distance again... he was mediating again, to tame the energy he has gathered all for himself... but simply watching him do this, in a fight, that could decide over life and death for one and the other, it made the Korean's feelings go wild, as it felt like he was mocking him now... he walked over, despite the injuries and began to growl again.

"I've just had it with these cheap techniques of yours...! I've met quite the bunch of pricks in my life...! BUT YOU...!"

Without further questioning, he began running towards the Chinese this time, not caring what was going to happen next, as he began to realize, that he wasn't taking him seriously one bit... but Asuka now became concerned, as Hwo's reckless behaviour could at this point lead to his feared demise, now with him no longer being able to keep his temper under control. Right now, she is watching the fearsome spectacle, from the safety of one of the temple's rooms, to protect herself from the rain, as she couldn't bear it any longer, specifically with all the pain that Feng has bombarded her with. And just before Hwoarang could land a hit on Feng, he then opens his eyes and grabs his leg and simply throws him away from himself, giving him more time to canalize all the power that is brewing inside him... he knew, that this made Hwoarang all the more angry, but this was all part of the plan. He would simply wait, until everything was set again to strike him down and finish him off, just like his Kazama partner... and of course, Hwo refused to let this get to him too easily... as he then prepared to go for a surprise attack.

"So frontal attacks don't shake him, I see. I suppose, giving him a surprise-surprise, should do the trick."

And with that, he ran towards Feng again, before stopping right in front of him... and just as he grabbed his leg to throw him away, Hwo's eye sparkled, before he stomps on his hand to make him let go of him and to further start the confusion tactic, he did another Flamingo stance and this time from the right. He hopped forward, giving the Kenpo master a hard time in hitting him, as he didn't give him any opportunities any longer... and just like when Feng, was about to use "Iron Fortress" again, Hwo stepped to the side in time, before using his famous "Firecracker" to make the Chinese fly high up in the air, continuously juggling him in the air with his famous "Hunting Hawk" combination, but instead of hitting him down towards the ground, he then kicked him further upwards, leaving wide open for his famous and effective "Overhead Kick" and as soon as he was high enough for Hwo to reach again, he skewed Feng with a kick in the stomach, only to then send him flying over onto the other side of the park. Even Asuka to crack a smile at the sight and shook her head in disbelief.

"Moron... always taking the easiest way, eh?"

Hwo had to smirk a little, since he put a lot of force behind that kick, that made the Chinese just kiss the floor repeatedly.

"These legs have never let me down! And they're never going to. What do you think of that?"

"...I think, you are a little overestimating yourself, youngster."

"Huh?!"

His moment was rudely interrupted by Feng, having quickly recovered from that supposedly really painful combination, leaving the dazed Korean to stand there and watch in horror, how little that attack did anything on him. And since he was absorbing every hit like a sponge, only to make him grow even more powerful, he was left with nothing but utter disappointment. He had no choice, but to hide it and back up with a fake confidence, that he created just now in a moment of desperation.

"So you didn't get enough of this?! You want me to beat you some more?"

"I am afraid, there won't be a next time for you... and much like this weakling-partner of yours, you have eaten the bait, like a blind fish..."

And with these words, Feng does the same pose he did before to release the power of the dragon inside him and use every ounce of energy that both Asuka and Hwoarang just now, gave him to use it against them. The golden-red aura around him returns and this time, the sparks were more apparent. Asuka now REALLY was in fear of something awful happening to her partner... she just knew, that this isn't going to end well AT ALL. But all she could do for the moment, was to watch and see, if he can last longer than her...

"Hwoarang... don't you DARE screw up now...! You got this far, giving in now, would be the worst mistake you could possibly make...!"

She couldn't hide her fear-filled shivering any longer and she began to sweat again... and even Hwo wasn't so sure of himself anymore, but he knew... giving up is NEVER an option. He prepared himself, both mentally and physically for this, hoping that he will survive this one, despite the odds speaking for this...

"Your time is up, fool... now prepare yourself to be squashed."

"I-I won't go out yet! Bring it on!"

But saying this alone, made Hwo cringe on the inside. Feng has used the same trick and he didn't notice it until now...

"Gosh, does my stupidity know any bounds?! Why did I let him get away with this?! And now look where I stand, cowering in fear like a scaredy-cat... no, pull yourself together! My master is counting on me! He taught me to never give up, no matter what happens... and I am going to keep this vow... no matter what!"

He then screamed at the Chinese with reignited, flaring confidence, ready to face his fate.

"Then so be it! You say my time is up? Then prove it to me, I am not scared of you!"

"I will make you regret these loud words of yours... and since you haven't shown any signs of learning from your mistakes, not being able to admit it to yourself, that you've failed, much like your pathetic excuse for a partner... your defeat will be held much longer. And I am going to enjoy, breaking your spirits, watching you crumble under the weight of my overwhelming power."

"...You sure love to talk big, don't you?"

And with these words, Feng teleports himself in front of Hwoarang, ready to strike him down like usual. Asuka was ready to jump in and save him from whatever was coming to him, but suddenly... the jab, coming from Feng, gets blocked by Hwoarang, only with his mere wrist... despite his strength having increased double the amount, it shocked him, how Hwo could possibly stand there, not moving an inch, as if he didn't even feel anything... but in reality, on the inside, Hwo had to growl loudly in agony... that one jab was real painful to him, it felt like... someone just hit his wrist with a stone... but he didn't dare showing any signs of this having really caught him off-guard... and Asuka was just as surprised, at how less effort her partner put in that defence-move right there...

"How did he do that...?!"

"Argh... darn it... this hurts so bad...!"

However, mercy was not on Feng's mind, so he continued with his merciless onslaught on the young Korean. He then proceeded with hitting Hwo with his "Boar's Tusk", two times, against his stomach... and again, the pain was inhumane... and yet Hwo refused to show, that it hurt, as he didn't want to be a cry-baby and a bad role model to Asuka... he took it in, despite his defensive not doing enough to hold Feng back... and in his mind, whenever a hit landed, he groaned even louder in his head...

"W-What's wrong with this guy...?! Has he eaten rocks for breakfast...?! These attacks are insanely hard... but I got to keep going...! I need to fight back...!"

And all of a sudden, Hwo then countered Feng's uplifting kick with a kick of his own and the impact alone caused a shockwave to boom through the place... and in a moment of hesitation, Feng got hit by Hwoarang again and this time, he changed his position to the right flamingo, allowing him to uplift Feng with a "Grand Theft". And to send him back to crash against the stone-hard ground follow, he used "Blast Fist", giving him more free space to attack him... and once he bounced off the, in order to keep a little distance between him and himself, Hwo went for the the "Ankle Biter", followed by the "Crescent Kick", before sending him flying with a quick "Cheap Shot Snap Kick". Despite having succeeded in making the bad guy roll across the wet soil, he had to groan out loud and spit up blood, as the effects of Feng's blocked attacks left a harsh after-effects and because of him having overstrained his body again, with all these injuries, he couldn't keep it in anymore... this miserable sight really put Asuka over the edge. She wanted to help him, but as his gaze fell upon her, it scared her off, as he looked like he meant serious business... he regretted this gesture, but he didn't want her to get further injured, than she already is...

"Whatever may happen... don't do anything rash, 'Suka... don't mind me, should he get any idea in killing me, don't stay... run for your life...! The less lives he gets on his track-record, the better..."

The mere sight of Hwoarang in his current state, made Asuka's thoughts go wild. She didn't want him to further sacrifice his own time he had left on earth, as she predicts Feng to slay him, now with him having angered him... she sat around the corner, with her knees pressed against her figure, all the while looking down towards the wet ground with sorrowful eyes... but then, her eyes narrowed and she stood up, but slowly, as she didn't want to exaggerate now...

"No... I won't let it end this way. How many have already suffered under this prick's self-centered goals? Then what? Should I simply stay around, doing nothing, while witnessing it all going down the shitter? No, NOT on MY watch, pal..."

She went back to watch the fight, as she already was making up the plan of hers, that she always wanted to try out... and as soon as she arrived, Feng has already recovered and she could see, him having powered up again. This technique turned her fear into genuine fury.

"Apparently, this hypocrite never seems to get tired of this, doesn't he? He seems to love it a little too much, whenever his opponents beat themselves up beyond the limits, just in hopes of taking him down and then he comes with a technique, that is pretty much impossible to overcome...! I hope, Hwo knows, what he is doing... the longer I look at him, the more worse his conditions seems to become..."

After having recovered from that combination of powerful blows, Feng found a suitable moment to relax his entire body, allowing all the absorbed energy to flow freely again... he had to show a malicious grin, proving that Hwo's attacks did, as always, nothing power him up further...

"Hehehe... are you really this stupid? Or are your brain-cells not further developed? You should have known, that regular raids of attacks like these, won't benefit you in any way... and yet you remained in the cage, for having eaten the bait too many times."

"Damn you...! Rot in hell, for all I care...!"

"Ahhh, looks like I did went a little too harsh on you. Good... because now, I am getting really sick of this... it's about time, someone should make you see sense..."

Then his sight fell on Hwoarang's shaking legs. With his trousers having become too wet from the rain, the now cold piece of clothing made him shiver... since his kicks became a thorn in his eye, and he apparently seemed very proud of them, he wanted to pay him out and teach him a lesson, as his grin grew darker... flashbacks of everything that happened to him, when he wasn't as strong as today... every kind of torture he had to suffer through, just to perfect his strength and his skills in the God Fist... and even emotional terror, caused by his own family... he felt the urge to make Hwo feel the same experience...

"You love to kick, I see... and to perfect your Taekwando... well, how about me giving you a lecture in life... on how to get the feeling of TRUE agony!"

"What...?!"

Since Hwoarang has become weaker and he put all his remaining stamina in this previous combo, he had even less power than before and because of Feng sucking his spirits dry with the golden dragon, he felt heavier than plumb... and as the Chinese ran towards him, ready to do whatever he pleased with him, he couldn't do anything, but accept his fate... as he then gets grabbed by his head and pulled up, before eventually getting kicked hard in the gut to fly higher and before he could land painfully back on the ground, Feng spins and stomps Hwo back down, before kneeling down to further torture him... to render him unable, he sat down on his torso, before grabbing his right leg to a painful degree by his ankle and it caused a blood-curdling scream to escape Hwoarang's mouth, making Asuka's thoughts and desperation go wild, ready to get there and help him, as a tear almost escaped her eye-lid, but just as Feng was about to break Hwo's leg, he gets pushed off of the youngster by Hwo's "Pushing Hands" and kicked away with a "Cheap Shot Snap Kick"... but this one, for the first time during the fight, made Feng actually angry, since it slowly began to annoy him, how hard Hwo is to take down, especially with him constantly being so full of himself and for a moment of not paying attention, he achieved exactly what Hwoarang wanted, so that he can give him a final, painful message.

(BGM for the situation: Bloody Talons)

"What a nuisance you are... why won't you just DIE?!"

He didn't bother keeping his golden dragon spirit going, meaning that he couldn't absorb any energy in the following moments, giving an open target for Hwoarang to shoot down victoriously...

"My road, that is my life, won't end, until I stop the engine!"

Said Hwoarang with a confident smirk, as he then raised his right heel to for his famous ultimate combination called "Heel Explosion Combo" and waited for the angered Feng to come close enough...

"You're not gonna like this one bit!"

...only to then smash his heel on top of Feng's head real hard, stunning him just enough for him to then send him flying upwards with a "Firecracker", followed up by a jumping kick in the mid-air, forcing the Chinese to hit the floor and bounce of the ground, giving free space for one final heel smash by Hwoarang and as he raises his heel high in mid-air...

"You're gonna taste the floor with this one!"

...he then flies down and with all force being put in that one heel, he smashes it with full power against Feng's chest, almost cracking his bones with that one and the force was so intense, it made the floor beneath the two crack in several places. To say, that this sight amazed Asuka, was an understatement. His bravery and will to never give up lead him up to that one point, where Feng actually got feel the wrath of his anger and love for his loved ones... Hwo knew, that his end was near... no way that was enough to make him learn his lesson... and much to his expectation not being disappointed, Feng recovers from that, but despite him having survived it, he didn't watch his guard, when Hwo attacked him, so it genuinely hurt this time and he cough up blood, from how strong that heel made his bones crack... but for some reason, Hwo was not afraid of his fate any longer... he walked humbly away, with Feng slowly getting closer, with no way to avoid him anymore and then grabbing him by his head, forcing him to turn around and then kick him in the gut, hard enough for him to spit up blood... but as Feng continued to torture him, Hwo was too exhausted to fight back and thus, had to accept his loss... with a confident grin... and then, Feng jumped high up in the air, targeting his right leg, right on his right ankle... but all that Hwo had to say to all this was a confident:

"Is that... the best you can do... asshole?"

Only to then burst out in screams on anguish and that one moment of hearing Hwo's right leg getting almost snapped in half, just the sounds of bones getting cracked, might forever be stuck in Asuka's memory, as this was that one straw that broke Asuka's back... she couldn't take it anymore and before Feng could think about breaking more of Hwo's bones, as he then continues to repeatedly stomp on Hwo's torso... he then gets forcefully punched away by no other than Asuka herself, who has recovered a little from her injuries. With a few of them being serious, she just didn't care, as this long held-back rage of hers has already consumed her mind entirely, giving her an adrenaline boost, helping her to ignore the pain... as Feng recovered from that blow, he looked at a deadly glare coming from the young Kazama, who then kneels down to check on Hwo... who to her shock, was not moving an inch... she already feared the worst.

"Hwoarang...! Hwo, wake up...! Don't you dare playing tricks on me now, you prick...! Speak to me now!"

Luckily for him, he has only been beaten unconscious, his heart was still beating, although it was faint... but because of Asuka's mind being completely dead-set on Feng and him having probably killed him, judging by the serious injuries... two huge tears began to run down her cheeks, as she raised her voice, shaking him harder.

"YOU IDIOT! Don't you dare, doing this to me! DON'T YOU DARE, YOU HEAR ME! ...HWOARANG!"

She shrieked at the top of her lungs in utter agony... she thought, she has lost someone, that was genuinely precious to her... she had to pull him close, embracing his unconscious body as tightly as she possibly could, with tears still running down her cheeks... the pain was just too much for her to bear, especially having to witness it all ending this way... it was official now... she genuinely HATED Feng... first, it was her father and now, it was someone, who she has already grown deeply fond of over the almost past two months... someone, she could proudly call a friend... and the sight of Asuka weeping over the "loss" of her partner, made Feng chuckle.

"How pathetic... he used up all his power for nothing... what a sad way to go and I was just about to enjoy it. But oh well... in the end, weaklings always remain weaklings, no matter how hard they may try. He accepted his fate... and I suggest, you do the same. Better accept it now, before it gets worse."

Just hearing these spiteful and mocking words, snapped Asuka back to reality... her eyes narrowed, as she then softly drops Hwo back on the ground, before slowly rising off the wet ground, only to face the evil Kenpo master with a deadly serious glare... her rage now growing beyond the limits and with that, her strength... she balls her right hand tightly into a fist...

"Don't you dare... start mocking him like this...! He gave up his life to protect me, no, to protect ALL of us...! He had no strength left... but he kept going... not getting any ideas of giving up, until YOU... are no more...! I will personally make sure... that his death wasn't for nothing...! I will make you... pay..."

...and the grip of her fist became even tighter...

"I will make you pay."

...until it forms her one glove red, because of it starting to bleed, giving the signal, that she was far from done with him.

"I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	22. Hard Decisions (Part 2)

**Chapter 22: Hard Decisions (Part II)**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

Jin and Xiaoyu were speeding down the much less protected road, that should lead them to the part of Osaka, where this temple was to apparently be located... and soon, they arrived in the town, but as they arrived, Xiaoyu's radar suddenly stopped working. She began to panic, press the buttons relentlessly and she starts beating it in hopes of getting it back on again... Jin noticed and had to ask.

"What's the matter? What's with the radar?"

"I don't know... something disturbs the signal... it must be the rain..."

"No... I doubt that... that's got to be Feng's doing. I swear, I could sense, that he knew, we were on our way here. No matter what he did to achieve this, it's not of our concern, for the moment at least."

"And how are we going to continue the search?"

"At this point, all that we can rely on, are my senses... I sensed his presence before, but it was from a greater distance. Now with us being closer to our target, it should be no problem in finding him in this part of town..."

"I really hope, you're right..."

"I hope so too, believe it or not... I need to perfect this technique at one point..."

And with that, they head off again, all the while Jin had to concentrate on focusing all this energy on his mind, to use the same technique again, but he can already predict, that THIS is sure to become a confusing mess, as he wasn't experienced with it... but his determination to take out Feng, fair and square, keeps him from giving up... and let us hope, that it keeps doing just that.

Meanwhile with Asuka and Feng...

With Hwoarang being thrown out of the game now, Asuka's hunger and thirst for vengeance kept growing larger and larger with every passing second, she had to see this evil Kenpo master before her... having witnessed him torturing Hwo to his supposed death, it only added more fuel to the fire, that was her determination to keep going and continue to fight, now not only for her father, but also for Baek AND his pupil... it pained the young Kazama to know, that Hwo didn't survive that one, but giving up now, would mean letting him down... but she had a plan. She now knew what do, in order to give the troublemaker a massive beatdown... she had the strength and it should be enough to teach him a thing or two... however, as previously established... his new ability allowed him absorb all attacks, blocked or not, like a sponge, stuffing him up with even more power... and once he has it all inside him, he takes way less damage than normal and by the time, you can do anything, you will already be on the floor, because of him releasing all the absorbed power... but she then realized, whenever he got hit too many times, he had to find the proper moment to calm down and meditate, indicating her, that he must calm down first, before setting this power free... and in order to injure him, you'd have to be fully loaded with power yourself. Hwoarang has proven it, as seen with Feng having lost his composure and his ability to absorb power for the fraction of a few seconds... she began think to herself with narrow eyes.

"Alright... this hasn't gone the way we planned it. But no matter... this guy is toast. He has now really crossed the line, by taking out Hwoarang. He was so brave... he has saved my life... I can't let his death be all for the shitter. I have to continue for him... no, for EVERYONE, that is in potential danger of this guy causing them the same problems all over again... I suppose, it all depends on me now... and I think..."

She looks at her open palms, before balling them tightly into fists again.

"...I might have just the ticket. I've always wanted to try this one out, but I never got the right moment to do so... but now it's finally happening. It was starting to annoy me anyways."

She then turned her attention back to Feng, who was staring at her maliciously... but she did not feel intimidated by it, not anymore.

"Don't even think about it. From now on, I'll be playing in a completely different league. If I were you, I'd better prepare myself, because you're going to receive the beating of the century."

But all that Feng did as a response to her fronting was a simple, mocking scoff.

"Oh, really? If my memory doesn't fail me, haven't you said this before, in one form or another? And look where this got you. Your partner has been rendered unable and he put up more of a reasonable challenge than you... what could YOU do better, what he couldn't?"

"Never giving up, until YOU learned your lesson, for one thing... I am going to continue, what he couldn't accomplish..."

Her suddenly, anxious look now, then falls on the unconscious Hwoarang...

"All that I have to do, is believe in myself... he taught me that... and I am going to honour that... He signed his death warrant, to protect me from you... I can't let this all be for nothing..."

Even for someone as reserved as Feng, listening to that kind of babbling about belief, made him think of his foolish and naive self from the past... and it began to make him cross. He believed too... and all that it got him was trouble. He trained, to leave all emotions behind, to forget everything that he suffered through, because of his family... and with her bringing this up again, he began to lose his patience and it showed through him shaking his head in shame and disgust.

"Have you ever listened to yourself? You BELIEVE, that you are going to win this time. Only the weak masses, who were never able to achieve anything in their lives, cling themselves onto that belief, in hopes of finally realizing, what they've always dreamed of... you just confirmed, that you belong to those people and it's never going to change. Have you no shame? And you dare, to get in my way again. From what I've learnt: Belief has simply no meaning, when you don't possess the power to back it up. Weakness has simply NO PLACE in this world. What makes you think, you're going to make a difference?"

She then slowly points at herself, all the while glaring at him.

"You're right, I am a weakling. I am certainly not the smartest, or the prettiest, or the strongest. ...but you know what? I am PROUD to be an underdog. Compared to you, I can at least LIVE with myself, y'know. I know, who I am and THAT is a difference, from what YOU think! As long as you keep fighting for your wishes, pain should only make you stronger and even then, shedding a tear from time to time, doesn't hurt... you can at least admit that way, that even YOU can have a weak moment... but due to your god complex, I think, you won't get my point..."

All this, made Feng think to himself, as he had to admit... she struck a nerve. But he couldn't think about it right now.

"Foolish girl... she'll never learn, won't she? Looks like, I must have damaged her brain a little before... why else, would she act all so tough? She is going to lose anyway, what more is there to say in her case?"

Then, Asuka does something, that nobody could have possibly foreseen... she throws off her leather-jacket and starts opening her school-shirt, revealing a red tube-top and her alluring, slender physique, that was hidden under this shirt.

"What is the meaning of this? Exposing yourself from your own clothing won't save you..."

But his confusion was soon replaced by surprise, once Asuka opened her shirt wide open to reveal, what was hidden underneath... and once she took something from one of the two little shirt pockets, he could see... that the content consisted of little iron-weights. 2,5 kg each with three of them being held in both pockets. She then grabbed all six weights together and throws them over towards Feng's feet, before throwing off her shirt entirely, wearing now nothing but her red tube top and her fingerless gloves. But she had to yet reveal even more secrets... she sat down on the wet ground and took off both of her boots, revealing more weights, hidden underneath her clothing... and this time, there were two more weights wrapped around each of her lower ankles, again 2,5 kg each. She unlocks them and throws them off, feeling genuinely relieved now, as she began to massage her right ankle. Feng was speechless. He still couldn't believe it, that she has been hiding this much weight underneath her clothing... and after having put on her boots again, she had to grin, as she felt now more lighter.

"What now? Surprised? Then wait, until you see, how REALLY agile I am, when I am rid of these annoying weights. Watch and learn."

She then begins to kick the air, and there was a much quicker exchange between kicks and punches and to further show, how much lighter she has become, she starts jumping around in swift and quick backflips, before landing back on the ground safely, almost acrobatically. Feng was indeed in utter shock, seeing his enemy now having powered up drastically.

"So this could explain it all... she held everything back for this finale... I can't tell, if this is a good or a bad thing, however..."

He then snorted, before getting into his combat stance, once again and this time, he showed a confident grin.

"...I CAN say, that THIS is much closer to my taste."

He had to say it out loud, to announce that the battle continues.

"Let's see, if all this trouble was worth it. Bring it on."

Despite her vengeful feelings towards Feng, Asuka had to admit... she was now more eager than ever to fight again and with her having powered up, she was more than ready. She kicked the air again and then points in the direction, where Feng was standing, with a confident smirk forming on her lips.

"I promise, you'll be in for one hell of a difficult time now. Once I am free of these, I hope you can keep up with me. Let's go!"

(BGM for the situation: Adelitas Way - The Collapse)

It was time once more... Asuka went for a frontal assault, just to test, if her improved speed really does the trick with this guy. And to her surprise, as she punched straight forward, targeting Feng's torso and he was about counter with a parry... it worked, as she was quicker to dodge his counter and duck down to sweep her right leg cleanly through Feng's legs, sweeping him of his feet. She quickly rose and uppercuts him with a simple jab, before jabbing him left and right and then send him flying with a punch from the right, making his head hit the floor first during impact. This made the young Kazama grin to herself...

"Hehehe! It's working! Let's keep it up, it's in the bag!"

She swung her right arm to taunt Feng, who just got back up. He was shocked at her sudden change of speed. With no extra weights holding her back anymore and her feeling as light as a feather, this was the sign to no longer hold anything back against her.

"So you've finally realized, that this was never a game to me. If you really are in a hurry to meet your incoming fate, then so be it."

Feng then does a pose, that should signify him powering up as well... he concentrates his own energy this time around, all over his entire body, until a faint golden aura surrounds him, showing that he was ready.

"Come at me! With everything you have!"

"You want it, THEN YOU GOT IT! THIS IS FOR HWOARANG!"

This time, the two ran to one another, until the two clash with a punch coming from the Kazama and an uplifting kick coming from Feng. Both brave fighters start countering and blocking each other's attack, no matter what it was and even after seemingly endless hits, nobody showed any signs of exhaustion, indicating that both have recovered just enough, so that they can go out with full power. But soon, Asuka knew, that she had to attack now. And to do that, she waited for Feng to throw another kick, giving her the sign to counter and then throwing him off the loop, by stunning him anyhow. And just as she thought, Feng did so... he threw a roundhouse kick, targeting her head, but she rose her right wrist and blocked just in time, not bothering to care about the pain she just got to feel and instead proceeded with her plan, by first kneeing Feng in the gut first and since he wasn't focused on collecting energy from her and simply take it all in with no hesitation this time, he pretty much opened spaces for Asuka, allowing her to attack him and actually inflict actual damage on him and judging by him spitting up and bending over, after that blow in his lower body area, the young Kazama then elbowed him from above, targeting his neck, before sending him flying with a spinning and uplifting kick, from her left foot... but she was far from done with him. As he landed on the floor, Asuka jabbed him against his torso, while he was still laying on the ground, but then she lifting his body and slides through his legs, before eventually kicking him in the back, making him roll across the wet floor. With her now finally making progress and her now feeling fully pleased with herself, now with having taught Feng a lesson on how much better she becomes, once she gets rid of her weights, she just HAD to boast a little, as she puts her hands on each of her hips.

"Like you said, I should go all out and now I did. Guess, you're all show after all. I mean... it'd be a REALLY hard bit to swallow, knowing that you've been beaten by someone BARELY half your age. Hehehe..."

Feng stood back up and rubbed his chin, adjusting it a little, since that kick from Asuka really got him good. But despite him having dealt with worse people than her before, her arrogance and her boastful nature... even for someone as reversed as him, it really began to steal his last nerve... as he knows just too well, that this has always been the decease among strong fighters, that caused them to fall HARD from grace and it truly began to make his blood boil, as he turned around to glare at Asuka.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have such a huge mouth. But I suppose, you've already been infected with this eternal sickness... boasting can even bring the best of the best to fall. And I dare you to insult me and my skills again... I dare you."

"Oh, guess what? I DARE, because YOU asked for it. Who am I kidding, you'd kill me anyways, right? And then run away? Like the coward you are?"

"Enough!"

And the two went for another clash, once again and it went for more inhumane than before... but eventually, Asuka seemed to gain more and more of an advantage in this fight, but it was all thanks to her strong will to keep going and to all the people counting on her... she needs to keep that reputation, not only to stay true to who she was, but also... to avenge her best friend, who gave up his life to protect not only her and all the people of Osaka, like the true hero he was... all this gave her strength and she couldn't possibly let everyone down... and during the struggle, Asuka had to shed a tear, as she also began to smile in a sad manner...

"Hwoarang... you've always been there for me... but now it's about time, that I repay all the cool things you did for me. You deserve it... and at your funeral, I will personally take care of you getting the best possible burial... I will..."

And as she kept thinking of him, it gave her a power boost once again, as she then counters Feng almost unblockable attack "Iron Fortress" with her famous parry... just as he got close enough for her to grab him, she grabbed him by his arm, uses all the strength she had in her arm and starts twisting him in the air, before throwing him over onto the other side, before jumping back with a backflip. She could sense, that Feng slowly began to feel pissed off about his failures so far, even if it wasn't much... and her arrogance remained a thorn in his side. He quickly turned around and jumped up in the air, targeting her head with a jumping kick... but that was too predictable for Asuka, as she slowly got his pattern figured out. She ducks and avoids the kick, before letting Feng unwantedly crash against a stone-pillar, giving her a good laugh out of that one...

"Wow, wow, wow, hold your horses! I know, you're not that bright, but come on... you can't be serious! You weren't that predictable before, don't tell me, you're starting to lose steam already!"

She was boasting again and this time, Feng snapped, as she quickly rose again and began to growl, showing that he was beginning to grow tired of her behaviour...

"Shut your mouth... shut your mouth, I SAY! Don't you dare starting to mock me now! Or else, your trip to hell with be HORRIFIC!"

And with that, he starts attacking Asuka once again, but she shrugged and countered his coming punch...

"Whatever you say..."

...with a kick, before starting to struggle with him again and it became even harder to keep up with how quick the two were to make one another's life harder, but eventually, once again, Asuka is the first to break this struggle and give Feng hell, again. As soon as he fell for her taunt into coming closer, she does an uplifting "Dragonwheel Kick", before beginning to keep him in mid-air, by doing two "Leg Cutter" and then send him flying with a final kick in the face... letting him hit the floor hard. She could sense, that the Chinese was getting angrier and angrier, the more she inflicted injuries on him... but she had to avenge Hwo and she wouldn't ever forgive him, for what he did to him...

"You know, I actually start to feel sorry for you. I am not even joking... you try all your best to take me down and for once, it's me who remains on top, while you are now here, struggling to keep up with my skill and no matter what you try, you always end with kissing the floor... save yourself all the embarrassment and better run, while you still can, because I MAY then get second thoughts about you... that's ONLY a MAYBE though."

These taunts really began to make Feng's blood boil... he really despised taunts of that kind. He certainly wasn't the kind of man to simply run off like a sissy-pants, especially NOT, when his opponent is the same person he used to fight before with... he couldn't let this opportunity slip, so he remained there... but his anger now almost roaring inside him, he slowly rose back up, again, but this time, the ground beneath the two began to shake, as a golden aura engulfs him once more and he starts to growl out loud.

"That's it... I am done messing around...! You will regret the day, ever having gotten in MY way...! FOR ALL ETERNITY! The foolish ones deserve PUNISHMENT!"

"Oh well, at least, an eternity doesn't sound too bad."

But that one taunt, was one thing, that Asuka began regretting immediately, as Feng then stomped the ground hard enough to cause an erosion underneath her feet, causing her to fly up in the air, leaving the shocked Kazama wide open for the Chinese to further attack her... he jumped high up into the air, until he came about her altitude and then grabs her by her head, before flying back down to smash her entire body against the floor... Asuka couldn't do anything to defend herself anymore, she was held captive... and once she hit the ground, she had to spit up plenty of blood, as her entire body starts to ache terribly again... but since Feng has lost all sense for humility, due to her harsh taunts, he continued on with his torture, by grabbing her lower right ankle and then starting to smash her on the ground, exchanging sides with each hit, left and right, but much to Asuka's fortune, he suddenly stopped, as he had to catch his breath, giving her the opportunity to break free, as she kicks him real hard against the same arm, that holds her tight, allowing her to get free and roll away from him... both jumped back and then glared at one another in utter exhaustion. Even with her feeling lighter, nonetheless, Feng received her a not-so-innocent beating, that could have ended up way worse for her, if she didn't get free in time... but her spirits didn't leave her yet.

"That wasn't nice, y'know..."

"You impudent little brat... now you are really beginning to get on my last nerve...!"

"Well, excuse me, clearly it wasn't me, who received something first, oh no..."

"You really seem to be in a hurry to die...! CURSE YOU!"

"He never learns, does he? Fine, that should teach him a thing or two..."

As he went for a frontal assault again, Asuka starts cracking her fists, before waiting for him to get close enough for her to hit... and as soon as he did, she ducks foward and pulls off one of her special moves. It starts with a stunningly hard jab in the torso, before she starts twisting and turning to do her famous "Blizzard Combo", before lifting him up high into the air with a "Dragonwheel Kick,", high enough to give her more time in charging up her finishing blow... and as soon as her right fist starts shining turquoise-blue, he was right about the same altitude as her, allowing her to make him fly far away from her with that final punch and that one blow was really painful indeed for Feng, so much in fact, that he had to spit up blood, more than before, as he then rolled across the wet floor... and this time, he didn't seem to move one bit... that one combo took up most of her remaining stamina and she went on one knee, panting heavily... she then clutched her left arm, as the pain was getting unbearable at this point... but she was really pleased with herself... she felt overly victorious. Feelings of overshadowing joy came over her... never before has she ever felt this happy with herself. She has FINALLY beaten Feng...

"Hwoarang, daddy... I did it, I have avenged you all... it's all over now. There is no way, that this creep could have possibly withstood that one... that shall teach him... you hear me?! I've won! I am the winner!"

She just had to laugh, even with tears running down her cheeks... she couldn't be anymore happy... but... soon, her happiness shall soon turn into despair... as she then heard something...

"...is that really the best you can do?"

Asuka froze in place... and her head slowly turned behind her and much to her horror, as she saw Feng slowly standing back up, as if he didn't even feel that final blow of hers... she was in disbelief...

"W-What?! H-How is this possible...?! Y-You should have-"

"...have been defeated, yes. And trust me, I was NOT expecting this, but apparently... the golden dragon seemed to have saved me in the final moments."

Feng looked at his open palm with wide eyes.

"I really thought for a moment, that this one combination of yours just signed my incoming loss, but... the golden dragon must have felt me being in trouble and thus came to my rescue, just before you could finish me off for good. Remember that one final punch, that you've charged up just for me... well, thanks to that, we're back to where we started. Now it's ME, who is on top again."

Then, his look became malicious again.

"That is very sad indeed and it all went so well for you so far. But I am afraid to say..."

He then activates his golden dragon mode again, as he gets engulfed in a golden-red aura once again.

"...your streak of luck has just vanished before your eyes."

The young Kazama felt crushed... she began to curse herself to death... she has failed yet again to defeat Feng, despite all her efforts in doing so. It was all for nothing... and that was, what just broke her fighting spirit. She wanted to keep going, but her physical conditions, alongside the overshadowing failure of her trying to beat her arch-rival, just to avenge Hwoarang's death... all this made her accept her fate... everything before her begins to fall apart... as she then punches the floor three times, real hard.

"Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! This just can't be... I have failed yet again to take down this douchebag... is this how everything should end...? Is this my fate...? Being remembered as the biggest loser of all of Osaka...?"

She then began to shed tears, as she slowly stood up and spreads her arms, as a sign of saying: I am ready to face whatever is coming for me.

"Go... do whatever you please with me... there is nothing more I can do... I've given it my all, but I failed once again... if you really feel like killing me... then do it...! All my spirits have abandoned me... now go and do... whatever you please..."

This alluring sight made Feng chuckle...

"Now would you look at this. You finally seemed to have realized, what kind of mistake it was to get in the way of my path to ultimate power... and it's like I say: The foolish ones deserve nothing better than PUNISHMENT. Prepare yourself..."

But just as he was preparing himself with delivering Asuka the final punishment... in the distance, were Jin and Xiaoyu just getting closer and closer... both didn't realize, that they were coming to her rescue... and as Xiaoyu looked into the distance with a pair of binoculars, she could see Feng and she immediately jumped up.

"There he is, Jin! We've found him, we've found him!"

"Just like I thought, my senses weren't lying...! And can you see Hwoarang and Asuka?"

"I can only see Asuka... Hwoarang is not in my field of sight. But man, look at Asuka, even from here I can tell, she has had it real rough dealing with this creep alone..."

"Then we will have no other choice... hold on tight! We're breaking in!"

"I hope you know, what you're doing..."

And with that, Xiaoyu holds tight onto the young Kazama, as he increases speed and just breaks through the closed gate to the temple yards and after that, both he and Xiaoyu stopped in front of a stone pillar, before parking the bike behind a temple for safety purposes... both jumped off and Xiao was quick to open the seat of his bike to take out a first aid kit and a package of bandages, ready to treat the wounds of both Asuka and Hwoarang... Jin then yelled, as he was a little further ahead.

"Xiao, come on! Don't stall, we have to go and help her!"

"I know, wait for me!"

Both then ran to the part of the temple grounds, where Feng was currently still charging up, ready to go in for the kill and he was soon ready... Asuka didn't do anything to prevent it, as she just stood there with spread arms, ready to accept her doom. And when Feng was ready to strike, he grinned, as he yelled out.

"Time's up, brat!"

"Come..."

But then, Jin and Xiaoyu arrived just in time... and just as Feng jumped up, ready to strike her down with a flying chop from above, Jin does a "Mental Alertness", preparing himself for the perfect moment to hit Feng, before Xiao comes in and pulls Asuka away from Feng's attacking range and it all results with the Chinese losing sight of her and Jin kicking him hard in the chest, while he was in mid-air, making him kiss the floor once again... and after Jin landed safely, he immediately went over to check on Asuka with his loyal companion. He kneels down towards her, as he became deeply concerned about her well-being...

"Asuka... are you alright...?"

And once she realizes, that it was no other than Jin Kazama, who just saved her life from her life-long sworn enemy, she could only stare in a baffled manner...

"You... how did you know...?"

"That's sadly a complicated story, but we will save that for later... once we are out of here..."

Xiao was shocked at how many injuries she had... it was a sign, that she must have endured more than it should be humanly possible...

"Goodness... you sure have got to be one brave girl, if you can take this much damage without even looking like it bothers you... but don't worry, let me take care of this, I have an aid kit with me..."

The young Kazama was sure relieved to see Jin having saved her life... now she owes him something, as she now began to overthink her opinion about him... first, he didn't treat her like dirt, despite him being a criminal and now, he has saved her bacon in the last second... but she knew, that there was no time for that... as Feng was still on his feet... but she then began to shiver, as if she froze, until Jin realized, that she tried her best not to shed tears in his presence... but it was no use, Jin has got to know the truth about what happened to Hwoarang...

(BGM for the situation: Sadness and Sorrow)

"But Asuka... where is Hwoarang? Wasn't he with you?"

But just as the male Kazama mentioned him, Asuka started to let out one loud sob, as a tear ran down her cheek... already alerting the two heroes, that something awful must have happened...

"Hwo... he... this bastard over there... has..."

Her index finger pointed to the direction, where Hwoarang's unconscious body was laying there... but despite him not being dead, Jin and Xiaoyu feared the worst and they finally understood, what she was talking about... knowing Feng's merciless nature now... Xiaoyu was the first to cover her mouth in shock, as she also starts sobbing...

"No... he didn't... did he?! Jin, please tell me... this isn't true...! Please...!"

Jin, without hesitation, ran over to Hwo's unconscious body... he puts two fingers on his side of the throat to see, if he breaths... he kneels down and starts shaking him, in desperate hopes of him waking up, struggling with holding back his own tears himself...

"Hwoarang! Please, wake up! Wake up! You couldn't possibly have left us...! Hwoarang!"

But then, even Jin had to realize the bitter truth... and then, he began shaking, as his tears then fell upon Hwo's chest and even Jin began to sob painfully. Xiao could tell, both Kazamas aren't lying about Hwo having left them... and she broke down, next to Asuka and the two had no choice, but to weep together... but as soon as Feng saw it all, he had to chuckle in joy, as he enjoyed watching them suffer... then he turned his attention towards Jin, who was still crying over the loss of a good friend...

"You never learn, do you? Don't you realize, that your poor little friend has died for nothing? He was weak, much like the rest of all of you. He didn't know his place, so I had to teach him, where he exactly belongs to... his own stupidity and his overconfidence have brought all this over him, I didn't do anything... so I can't see, how you can still cling onto someone so weak? You should know better."

But just as he said that, Jin snapped, by first letting go of Hwo's hand and then saying out loud.

"...he was my friend."

He then slowly stood up off the ground, before beginning to raise his voice...

"Hwoarang was NEVER weak... he was the only one, alongside Xiao... who even truly bothered with understanding my pain... he was the most loyal companion, you could possibly ask for..."

...as he then revealed his extreme, rage-filled eyes, as he spoke in a chilling, yet low and angry voice.

"...and for this, I should send you to HELL! When will your hunger and thirst for dominance be finally quenched? How many lives will it take you to finally stop all this?! HOW MANY?!"

All that Feng did was simply scoff, further taunting Jin and mocking him about Hwo's death.

"All I ask for, is power. Human emotions are only for the stupid ones, who won't ever achieve anything in their lives... isn't power everything? You must have felt the luxury, when you were head of the Mishima Zaibatsu... don't you want this power?"

Hearing these words from him, reminded Jin of himself, when he was still the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu... his ignorant and foolish self... he had to cringe at what he did, just to assure "peace", but he did NOT want to go back to that path...

"Not at the cost of someone's life. I had to learn the hard way, that power is only poison for the true nature of someone's persona... I won't ever succumb to this, EVER AGAIN!"

"Truly a shame, that you wish to go against me, Jin Kazama... we could have achieved so much together... very well, let's see, if you can stay true to all your talk about friendship..."

Xiaoyu was the first to notice Jin's rage growing further and further... she feared, that this will be a fight, where all the rules of humility shall become no more...

"Jin... please be careful..."

Now Jin and Feng faced one another, ready for the final battle...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	23. Hard Decisions (Part 3)

**Chapter 23: Hard Decisions (Part III)**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

On Jin's ship... two seamen were just cleaning the deck, as the rain seemed to have finally stopped falling. Everything seemed normal, until one of the workmen then noticed huge footprints on the wooden floor...

Seaman #1: "Hey, look at that... man, someone really gotta have huge feet to leave behind such footprints..."

Seaman #2: "It can't be the captain, otherwise, he would have already walked passed us... but..."

But upon further inspection, the second seaman noticed the form of the foot... and he became suspicious.

Seaman #2: "Wait a minute... look more closely... they can't belong to a human..."

Seaman #1: "What do you mean?"

Seaman #2: "Surely, a human doesn't have claws, right?"

Seaman #1: "Or footprints with the size and form of giant paws..."

And then, they realized something... both then comically looked at one another with wide eyes, before the two then ran up to the captain's office to talk to him, that they had an uninvited guest on board.

Both: "Captain, captain...!"

And meanwhile, down there in the garage for vehicles... two huge eyes then peaked out of the darkness... an a bear-like growl was heard...

Meanwhile with our heroes...

(BGM for the situation: My Darkest Days - Still Worth Fighting For)

Both Jin and Xiaoyu arrived just in time to save Jin's younger cousin, Asuka from the fatal blow, that the evil Kenpo master, Feng Wei was about to deliver to her... but upon a shocking realization to see Hwoarang having apparently left the world of the living, a raging fire was ignited inside the young Kazama, who was now preparing himself for the final battle, that shall to avenge Jin's fallen friend AND his master... there were Jin and Feng, glaring at one another, with a strong hint of hostility, being written in the young Kazama's brown eyes... he now officially hated Feng Wei, just as much as his cousin does, if not worse. But he hasn't given up hope yet in taking this man down. He was prepared for him this time and it became clear, as Jin then calmly goes into a Mental Alertness stance and his body begins to spark red, indicating he was ready and Feng himself was ready likewise, as he does his Kenpo pose, that includes him stomping the ground and then doing his usual combat stance... the battle was ready to begin... both Xiaoyu and the now medically treated Asuka were on the sidelines, watching the fight going down with anticipation... and in secret, Xiao began praying for Jin ending up as the victor, before something awful happens to him and it wasn't him losing the fight, but something way worse... and despite Asuka still not fully trusting Jin... that however changed, once he saved her life from Feng. She was ready to give in to her fate and let the death come over her, but he changed it all in the course of a few seconds... and she was really grateful for that... but now wasn't the time to look at the past now... both Xiao and Asuka began whispering to themselves...

"Jin..."

"You're our last hope... get him!"

Jin was ready to give it his all, as he then got into his usual Karate stance.

"I hope you're ready... because I am going to give you your well-deserved punishment..."

But Feng's response to that threat, was a simple scoff.

"Hmph. I want to see you repeat these words..."

And with that, Jin went for the first attack... he began running to Feng, going for a leaping side kick, but as expected, Feng dodged it with ease, but it was only a warm up round, so the Kazama didn't mind that. The next attack came from Feng, as he attempted to kick Jin against his head, but he quickly turned around and blocked with his risen wrist, before doing a Mental Alertness, only to jump forward and kick Feng's head, but he ducked and slid underneath the Kazama to avoid him. But Jin expected him to do that, as seen with him trying to elbow Feng, who was just trying to grab him from behind, forcing him to cancel the throw. That was a good moment to inflict damage on the Chinese and to his fortune, he succeeded in doing so, as he nailed Feng against a stone pillar with a "Median Line Destruction", before the upper half of the pillar threatened to fall on him and he rolled aside. Feng began to growl, as that actually hurt, unlike the last time, where they encountered one another... he must have learned from his mistakes... but it was no real matter to Feng, as he wanted to show Jin the extent of the golden dragon as well... what he saw China, was only the tip of the iceberg.

"That fool... he should get a good taste of what I can really do with the golden dragon inside me... he is going to regret the very day, he dared to get in my path to true power... as he WILL meet the same fate like his good friend over there."

But just then, Jin stroke again, by going for a "Left Axe Kick", but Feng blocked it with his both arms folded together, before pushing Jin back to where he came from, leaving him wide open for an attack. First, Feng jumps high up in the air, before coming back down to strike Jin with a chop from above and the hit made the Kazama roll across the wet floor, the hit was THAT hard. But he quickly recovered, as he then rolled aside to avoid a stomp, coming from the Chinese, before eventually jumping back up and rolling forward to dodge a jumping kick from Feng. The two almost never gave one another any opportunities to strike and it became a little struggle, before the two then stopped, before facing one another once again. Jin's breathing has become heavier and even Feng, despite the dragon having helped him in getting a decent portion of his health back again, has begun breaking a real sweat and because of the injuries still being fresh, it wore him down... but he refuses to show him being a little bothered by them... as he then made one thing clear.

"That was only a warm-up round. I am only getting heated up for the real battle."

"Sounds good to me. A warm-up is all that you get, before I teach you a lesson."

Feng then began to show a dirty grin.

"Let me ask you... remember what you witnessed back there, back in China... after our battle?"

How could Jin forget that... he still saw in his head, how Feng revealed to him, that he actually cheated, by letting the Mouth of the Golden Dragon absorb a fraction of his energy during battle, without him having been aware of that in the first place... the Kazama shook his head and kept glaring at his adversary.

"That won't ever happen again... this time, I am prepared for you. Whatever you're going to throw at me, I will not be defeated here. Never."

But Feng, being a usually really cunning man, could literally smell Jin being doubtful about this...

"Strong words... that just spill inner desperation, hehehe... deep in you, I can sense the ever-lasting want of you wanting more strength to take me down, don't even try denying it, you seek for power, but you can't reach it, better yet, don't WANT to achieve it... quit being so foolish and set your spirit free to whatever power you possess in you."

"I will never give in to my devil gene... not as long as I live. It's bad enough, that this monster even lives in me and no matter what I tried, he wouldn't go away, it's like a curse... I don't need his strength to come out victorious in this fight, when I fight, then with fairness."

"Fairness won't save you, I'd just like to point that out. Fighting has nothing to do with being fair and honourable... with a world so cold and unforgiving, showing weakness is a sin. And this mindset of fairness has cost your friend's life... do you really want go out that pathetically like him?"

Since he reminded everyone involved, that Hwo has been sent to hell, thanks to his evil doings... it made Asuka almost lose her mind, as she began questioning her own ways of solving this massive problem... and since he proved to her, that remaining fair in battles like these, was pretty much a death warrant, as seen with what happened to Hwo, she couldn't keep her rage and hatred in control anymore... all she wanted, was this man to simply drop dead. It has went far enough, but he crossed the line, once Hwo had to pay with his life... this is how much, it began to get on her nerves, how much mercy Jin shows, despite him having to face a murderer... as she then rose her voice to a desperate and angry tone, tears began to run down her cheeks again and she started to shake, indicating that all this is becoming too much for her...

"That's it! You hear me, THAT'S IT! Listen closely, I don't know, what this power is that you have in you, Jin, that you'd really go so far to want me to keep it under control for you... but do me one favour, JUST THIS ONCE...! Quit applying by the rules! This guy is going to slay you mercilessly otherwise! Don't you see it?! All this is just a game to him, no rules, no honour, none of this is there! You heard him... use that devil gene of yours...!"

But all she gets a response from Jin, was a cold disagreement.

"...and then what? Break the vow that I made to myself AND my friends to never resort to drastic measures like these? Like I said... the devil gene remains unused, as long as my life goes on. I'd rather be fair, instead of risking becoming something, that I am not."

However, this didn't calm down Asuka, in fact, it made her even more angry and even more tears ran down her cheeks, as the passing of her new friend began to wear on her stronger than ever...

"You idiot! Don't you see, where this fairness got Hwoarang?! He sacrificed himself heroically, all for me and did it take this guy down?! NO! It only had the opposite effect and it further motivated this asshole to follow his dishonourable ways! What's the point, in applying to the rules in this?! What's the point, if all that awaits you is death?! WHAT'S THE POINT?!"

Jin remained calm, as he then had to ask her something.

"...would have Hwoarang ever wanted me to give in to my devil gene, despite me having promised to him to never go down that path?"

Once she heard this, her eyes shot wide open, as during a sparring session, Hwo once mentioned that fairness was indeed everything... yes, he lived on the streets before and that was a luxury, but once you do that, everyone will respect you and it will showcase, how much it means to you to be a fighter for something... she reminisces of these words and her anger began to disappear within thin air... and she was left with nothing, but pure grief... as she falls on her knees and looks at her open palms, as she knew... Jin was right. He could sense, that she has fallen to her knees in shame and he began to realize it... he means something to her...

"So you've seen it too, huh? Indeed, Hwo is just the right guy for this... we had differences, our relationship was troublesome and he even got on my nerves from time to time... but what I can proudly say about him: He is the most honourable guy, I have ever seen... even in the worst situations possible... he still manages to remain fair and square. I can't let this one lesson, that I learned from him go to waste... and the same applies to you, Asuka... he gave up his life for us and we should remain grateful for it, no matter how worse it gets for all of us..."

She then covers her mouth, as more tears began streaming down her face and her look softened up...

"Hwoarang..."

And again, Feng was surprised, with how loyal everyone acts towards Hwoarang, despite him no longer being there for them... he chuckles, as he folded his arms.

"So you decide to remain in denial... very well, then. You have been warned, because like this girl said... it's all about victory or loss... and the loser has to pay with his life... but enough talk, let's finish this!"

The evil Chinese then does the mediating pose again, before his fists began to glow golden-red, and sparks began to surround him, as the golden dragon came to show once again... but Jin remained without fear... in fact, remembering Hwo's friendship made him eager to fight again...

"Just say when..."

(BGM for the situation: Climb Up! And Get The Last Chance!)

In order to commence with the preparations, Jin did an Omen stance, concentrating in full motion, until both of his wrists began getting encircled with red sparks... and just when Feng jumped forward to strike with a normal punch, Jin sidesteps and counters the punch with his fully charged wrist, causing the sparks to scatter all over the place, before eventually kneeing Feng in the stomach, giving him enough time to chain it up with his trademark Mental Alertness and punch him with a "Spine Cracker", which was powerful enough to send Feng flying, but he refused to let this sit on him and he quickly recovered from it, as he bounces off of a rock pillar, before flying back forward to strike the Kazama with a roundhouse kick from above, targeting his head, but Jin countered again with a fully charged wrist in defence, forcing the Chinese to retreat and dash back forward to strike him from the front. Every one of the Feng's hits gets blocked or countered and as soon as he left himself wide open, Jin struck him with another hit, coming from his trademark pose... and soon, after a few more successful attacks, Feng grew increasingly annoyed at Jin's "cockiness", as he then concentrated again on canalizing his own strength... Jin didn't realize yet, that this was exactly what Feng was planning the whole time... putting up an act to make him think, he is in an advantage, when he really wasn't, as he is hiding the absorbed strength inside him... he even had remainders left from the previous fights, so he was all set on going for this tactic once more... and he began thinking to himself, as Jin struck him again brutally and with ease...

"It's all too easy... he is a Mishima, no question... but not even a Mishima can stop me. And I am going to prove it soon enough... you will be in for a treat, Jin Kazama."

He then gracefully landed back on the ground, indicating that he wasn't planning on giving Jin any more chances in making it easier for him, but Jin remained as focused as he could possibly be and nothing seemed to disturb his concentration... even Asuka was impressed... she has never seen him being at his absolute best before, so this was somewhat special to her, seeing Jin being her saviour for once, for another thing... and seeing his successes thus far, she couldn't help, but feel a little more safer than before, as everything seemed to be going better for them...

"So far, so good... he is doing a really good job... but be on your guard, you hear me? Feng is not the kind of man, to open soup kitchens when he feels like it... all he seeks for, is making your life a living hell... just you wait, it will begin soon..."

Looking at Asuka's concerned look, Xiao's sorrows of Jin's mental condition began to flare up again, as she gets this eerie feeling again...

"Please Jin, don't overdo it. I know, you won't be able to listen to reason at this very moment, not even from my side... how could you, when this man is responsible for Hwo's passing? But I am begging you, don't start going beyond your own limits... it's not there yet, but... I can sense something in you, wanting to break free... and I can kind of guess, what this "something" is..."

And as Jin began facing Feng face-to-face once again, he began to feel a little feeble... he couldn't explain how this was possible, but he didn't feel as strong as before to say the least... the sight already gave the Chinese a good reason to smirk, as his prey slowly seems to realize the mess he got himself into, much like the other two...

"What is this...? Why am I feeling so weak, all of a sudden? Is this... another trick?"

Feng began thinking to himself.

"Now he notices it, that wasn't so smart now, was it? And I can sense him desperately looking inside my soul to see, if I absorbed any energy from him again. And I did, however... he does not know the full extent of the golden dragon's abilities'... if I want to, I can hide my power at will, until I start releasing it and until then, he won't notice anything, that way, I can catch him off-guard and send him to hell, faster than he could get any idea of putting up his reliable defences..."

And with Jin beginning to feel weaker, all it did was further increasing his hidden lust in seeing Feng's blood on his hands... the death of his friend seems to get to him more effectively than he initially thought at first... his rage rose, but he won't show it... he just couldn't, but as soon as his head began to pain and he grows to get a small headache, he could sense this dark force inside him slowly breaking free, as he also starts to growl and his frustration grew further...

"No... I can't let it end this way, not after having come so far... Devil won't succeed, I will not go back on my word...! I will avenge Hwoarang...!"

Even though the Kazama tried to not make it too obvious, that he was already getting exhausted, Feng could still tell, that he was like at the end of the line, even if it's not much yet. So he made up another malicious plan... it was a little theory, that should give him an even bigger chance to win...

"This energy I absorbed is HIS very own... however... I don't sense anything, that comes close to the power of a devil... his energy is pure and natural... but the one from a supernatural being should feel completely different... and I wonder what happens, when I take ALL his normal energy away, leaving him with no other choice left, but to use his devil gene in order to survive...? Hehehe... sounds like a plan... I want to see it all, the devil shall come, I will be ready for him, should he come out!"

The evil fighter then stomps the ground, before doing a typical fighting stance for Kenpo, as he then stares at the young Kazama with almost murderous intents.

"What's wrong, getting tired already? We haven't even properly started yet..."

"I am anything but tired... I will keep going...!"

And so, it began... Feng and Jin kept on fighting, but Jin didn't even realize yet, that while they speak, Feng keeps repeating the same process of absorbation over and over again... punches and kicks were shot, but even with Jin managing to hit the killer of his friend, it felt like, it didn't even scratch him one little bit and once Feng absorbed even more energy, he has become so weak, his defences became nearly useless and he had to take every hit he received in, as if he has stopped caring... which became very apparent now, as Asuka and Xiao really got the urge to go and assist their saviour, but as soon as the now desperation-filled Xiao stood up, ready to go and get their archenemy away from her beloved friend, the female Kazama then grabs her by her wrist and pulls her back, with the Chinese, of course, beginning to resist violently.

"Let me go! Do you really expect me to sit back and watch Jin lose?!"

"Don't be stupid! Do you wanna get killed too?! If you help him, Feng is going to come after you next and losing another one of us is the least thing we need right now!"

"But what about him?! If he loses the fight, don't you realize, we will ALL be in trouble?! Having lost Hwoarang was bad enough, but we CAN'T afford to lose Jin now!"

"What are you going to do about it anyway?! Isn't it obvious, that Feng is absorbing Jin's energy at this very moment, with each hit that either lands, gets countered or blocked?! If you get in his way, while he is doing this, you can ALREADY consider yourself dead!"

"I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF! LET. ME. GO!"

Jin saw this all happening and despite him really losing his spirits to keep on fighting, he remained in motion, as he blocks more of Feng's attacks... he couldn't disappoint anyone at this point, not after having gotten this far... and at one point, he completely snaps, as his rage has really grown beyond reasonable levels and he causes a really strong shockwave with a simple shout, thus sending Feng flying and making Asuka and Xiao go quiet, as the stress also became too unbearable for him to handle... he then fell on one knee, covered in bloody bruises and a little bit of dirt, before starting to sweat and clutch his head, as this frustration in him grew further and further to unbearable measures... of course, Feng was absorbing his energy, but because of him having lost all of his rational thinking and his rage growing even more, he didn't pay any attention to tactical thinking any longer...

"Why...?! WHY CAN'T I BEAT HIM...?! I can't lose now...! I just can't...! Everyone depends on me...! I have to keep going...! No matter what is coming in my way...!"

Feng grew more and more satisfied at his work. His plan really began to show its after-effects now, as Jin obviously became more desperate than ever, as every single one of his strategies seemed to have failed and he was running out of options...

"I think it's about time to put you out of your misery... the great Jin Kazama has fallen high from grace, an even bigger shame than anything else... and how you used to be the leader of an entire corporation set on world-domination... what was anyone thinking?"

And with that Feng, slowly approached the young Kazama, as he knew, Jin was way too exhausted to keep on fighting... and despite him frantically trying to get him away from himself, it failed once again and it all resulted in him, getting forcefully grabbed by the throat by the Chinese... who has already put on a confident smug, ready to do the execution... it's not part of his plan to kill Jin, as he was curious about what truly triggers the devil gene to show itself, now with the Kazama having become unable to keep up his defences, but he now felt the need to test WHAT needs to be done in order to put Jin over the edge, just enough for the devil gene to awaken from its deep slumber... Xiao and Asuka were watching in horror... with Xiaoyu even starting to shed tears of pure sadness and frustration... she began calling out for Jin, just in hopes of getting him to fight back...

"Jin...! Please, don't let this happen...! Open your eyes, I am begging you...!"

And indeed, it worked... Jin was half-way unconscious, as he almost melted away in Feng's painful grip, but... the tear-filled voice of his life-long friend reached his ears, as he focused one eye on Xiao, who has begun to cry for him...

"X-Xiao... s-she is calling for me..."

"Don't give up...! You can still win this, we believe in you...! Never forget that...! Think about Hwoarang... and our never-dying bonds...! But by all means... please, wake up...!"

These soft, encouraging, yet tear-filled words were re-igniting this burning will inside him... it was not much, but it was very effective...

"She is right...! It's not over yet... as long as I breath, we still have a chance...! I have to keep going, she is counting on me... no, EVERYONE does...!"

(BGM for the situation: The Terminator - Taking to the Air)

And just when Feng's Iron Palm could land on Jin's tummy, he suddenly grabbed his wrist, making his entire arm spark red... this sight alone gave Xiao and even Asuka more hope... and she now began to realize, how much Jin actually loves his friends... if the pleading words of a single friend can reach you, even in the worst moments possible... the bond they share is truly genuine... another moment, where Asuka had to rethink about her attitude towards her cousin...

"So he does indeed care... who would have thought?"

And as soon as Jin grabbed Feng's wrist, he kicked him in the gut, hard enough for him to finally break free and using this moment of weakness to his advantage in order to uppercut Feng into the air, before punching him away with a Right Roundhouse Punch. And as soon as his head bounced off the ground, Jin quickly followed and then kicks him back up in the air with two simple, up-lifting kicks, before smashing him back down with two simple punches and a left axe kick, before continues the juggling process, by doing an Evil Intent and then Shun Masatsu to get him higher up into the air and with each that came from Jin, Feng actually felt this attacks and it wasn't like before, where the dragon in him simply absorbed everything... and to finally end this painful struggle, Jin stomps the ground and charges up beyond his limits, making his entire body get engulfed in red sparks, that even made the floor crack underneath him, before he eventually dashes forward to pin Feng in the air with one, already powerful punch, but he kept punching the Chinese over and over and over again, from left to right, until he was behind him after a heel-turn, only to keep punching him again with red sparks flying everywhere and the final punch was a fully charged 'Avenger" and with that final blow, Jin sends the evil fighter flying, by letting the attack impact on his face... Feng spat plenty of blood in the process and he began rolling across the stone floor mercilessly, showing that Jin seemed to have made an epic re-entry... but after this combination, he collapses on one knee, before Xiao and Asuka came rushing to him to help him up...

"Jin!"

"I... I won... didn't I...?"

Xiao was the happiest of all, as she and Asuka helped him up...

"Yes, yes you did, Jin...! Everything will be OK now, I promise..."

"Good job... for once, I let you enjoy the glory of being victorious..."

All three looked at Feng, who has just stopped moving, as if Jin actually won the battle... however, it wasn't a pleasant victory... all three then went over to Hwoarang's still unconscious body and kneeled down to him, even Jin, despite his complete exhaustion... he looks at Hwo with sad eyes...

"Thanks, but... now is not the time to celebrate... especially with someone not being able to celebrate with us anymore..."

The three friends stood silent for a few moments to honour Hwo's sacrifice... but just when any of the two could get any idea on how to take him home...

(BGM for the situation: A Disastrous Spectacle)

...All three could feel their blood freezing up, once they heard a loud stomp behind them... there was Feng Wei, slowly making his way back to the three heroes, with the same, terrifying golden-red aura from previous times surrounding him like a cape, flying in the wind... this might be the very first time, where Jin has ever been at loss for words, not counting the time, where he had to realize, his mother was "dead"... he couldn't believe his eyes... and so couldn't Xiao and Asuka... and all that Feng did to greet them, was throwing a confident smug at them...

"Greetings... you seemed to have forgotten to do your homework... THREE TIMES now..."

And with that, Asuka became really angry now... she couldn't replicate the fact, at how Feng can be so tough, to the point, where ANYTHING that you do to him, will count as petty poop.

"H-How can this be...?! How could anyone withstand such a bone-cracking combination and NOT STAY DOWN FOR ONE SECOND?!"

Jin has put everything he had in that final combo and yet it looks like, it has all been for nothing... he stares at the Chinese with blank and dazed eyes, that almost spilled genuine fear...

"This has got to be a true nightmare, if I ever saw it... did I just completely... waste my time... with this guy...?"

Now, Feng's plan seemed to have finally succeeded... now with Jin being completely defenceless, he knew it was the proper time now to try and force the devil gene out of him in one form or another... his first try in provoking him, was by simply further beating him up, the same way he did with Hwoarang... and the sinister message became clear through Feng's threatening words...

"The game... is over..."

And before anyone could guess, of what came after this, Jin already found himself getting mercilessly kicked away from Asuka's and Xiao's protection, high into the air, ready to get faced with a juggle from Feng... as he leaped into the air, he found himself getting brutally grabbed by his foot and then smashed to the ground... Asuka and Xiao wanted to help, but as long as Feng is in this mode, there was nothing they could do for him... and the young Kazama held Xiao back once more... but even if they came to his rescue, Jin wouldn't even try to fight back, since Feng did something, that no strong fighter can swallow... he broke his spirit, making him feel inferior, as if all his efforts were for the shitter... and he had no other choice, but to take it all in... Feng then grabs Jin by his throat, before throwing him away, making him crash through a few more stone-pillars in one row... and this was far from over... all that Feng wanted to do, was make Jin angry, as he theorized, that if his rage was to return to him, the conditions should all be set for the real challenge for him to commence... and to further deepen the pain, Jin finds himself getting pinned against the stone floor, before the Chinese then grabbed a broken up piece of the floor, and smashes it on Jin, beginning to crush the rocky item by rubbing with it against Jin's bare chest (the jacket got untied during the fight), making him scream and groan loudly in agony... and Feng even went as far as to even provoke Jin verbally...

"How is that? Have you finally learned your place? The people from the higher ups should have already abandoned you, the moment you decided to get in my path. Truly a shame to go out like this, isn't it? All you wanted was to avenge your oh-so-beloved companion and now look where you lay... right in the dirt, where you belong... as worthless as trash, that you are."

After saying this, he kicked Jin in the back from the side with a simple low kick, making him groan even louder...

"If I were part of your bloodline, you know what I would have done, if I was the leader? I would have executed you... for being such a wimp!"

He followed this up with a knee to get Jin up in the air, before elbowing him back to the ground, making his back hit the sharp stone underneath him, that got created, just by the mere impact from before, making him shriek out in agony...

"I thought you were different from the rest, that you might actually prove to be of some use for me. You couldn't possibly tell me, that THIS is the best you can do... for someone, who belongs to the Mishimas, you could have given me the fight of my life, but this... all you have done thus far, is simply covering the word of these legendary fighters in filth... you are a disgrace."

But despite this, Jin didn't get angry, not enough at least... on the outside, he is in pain, but the inside was a completely different story... the fact, that this man dared to compare HIM to the Mishima bloodline, that he learned to dread to this very day... set his inner flame of rage ablaze, but Feng couldn't see it... so he continued with his planned ordeal. And then, Feng kicks him upwards again, but this time, he began brutally and repeatedly smashing Jin's upper body section against the stone wall, that was right next to him. Jin's blood-curdling screams of pure ache might be forever stuck in Xiao's and Asuka's memory... and as soon as the wall broke in half, Jin was shown, covered in even more bruises and blood... and he still didn't do anything to defend himself, as his entire body has fallen completely numb from all this beating he received from the Kenpo master so far... but soon, he grew tired of torturing Jin, as he realized, this wasn't doing the trick... so he went for one final almost deadly combination, as he uppercuts Jin one last time, before punching him real hard in the chest, before making him crash against the well of the temple grounds. Water just began to spill all over the young Kazama, but not even that did anything to bring him back... so Feng realized, that wouldn't work... he simply won't get angry. He had to make up a Plan B... as he walks towards Jin once more, cracking his neck... he suddenly found himself getting kicked away, right in the face, making him lose his golden dragon mode and roll across the floor, before quickly recovering from that, as he looked at who just attacked him... it was Xiaoyu. Tears were running down her cheeks, almost waterfall-like, accompanied by angry shaking, as she couldn't take all this anymore... she needed to protect Jin from further experiencing any pain. She simply stopped caring for her own life, Jin was all now that was the most important to her in this very moment... as she began facing her incoming fate.

"You dirty bastard... you lay your fingers off of him right now... I WILL NO LONGER ALLOW YOU TO HAVE YOUR WAY WITH HIM! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH! If you really feel like killing someone again, then TAKE ME INSTEAD OF HIM!"

Asuka wanted to stop her, but this time, she couldn't do it... not because, she lost control of her, but simply because... she couldn't take it either, as Feng has gone way too far with this and she knew, she wouldn't ever be able to stop Xiao for long, even if she tried and if she was in her case, she would have done the same...

"I don't think, she is going hold up against him for long... let's hope for the best. I hope, she knows she is doing... but I have to give it to her, she is really brave indeed, maybe even more than I could ever be... not many can actually be so selfless..."

However, all this brought to Feng nothing, but a tired grin, before he then realized something... his gaze then became sinister, as he finally got a second idea on how to make Jin go berserk... he could sense, that he was still alive... so he began thinking...

"Hehehe... a physical punishment isn't enough... how about we go for the psychological route this time? This is sure to make him go far beyond his limits of emotional human endurance... when I start torturing his other friend now..."

And Feng got into his typical fighting stance once more, before showing his respects a little to Xiaoyu's selflessness.

"Your braveness is quite an eye-sight... but will it be enough to win, I wonder? And since you interrupted my match, I am going to make your life a living hell..."

"Go right ahead! I AM NOT SCARED OF YOU!"

And while Jin had to watch with feeble eyes, how Xiaoyu began protecting him... this already alarmed him... since he knew, that Xiao was no match for Feng... he now felt the very strong urge to go and help her, but it was futile, he was way too exhausted... and soon, he fell unconscious...

"X-X-Xiao..."

But what nobody noticed, was how Hwo's closed and supposedly dead eyes... began to faintly twitch...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	24. Hard Decisions (Part 4)

**Chapter 24: Hard Decisions (Part IV)**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

Jin awoke from a slumber... so it seemed... and as he opened his eyes, he clutched his head with one palm, as it hurt like hell... but as his vision became clear again... he suddenly noticed... he was literally surrounded by darkness... nothing, but pure blackness. The only thing, he was able to see, was himself, as from above, a light shone down on him and even though, it didn't give him a better view of his surroundings, it at least comforted him to still being able to look at himself... however, that was the least of his problems. He remembered, that he was supposed to beat Feng Wei, but something went totally wrong and because of this, he is now in the middle of the void, a place outside of logic and reality... he began muttering to himself...

"Just... where did I end up here...? I can still remember me having wanted desperately to stand back up again... but after that, it all went blurry..."

As kept walking aimlessly around the seemingly endless void of nothing, he kept thinking as of how he ended up here.

"What is this place, anyway...? I can't recall any of this ever having seen before... but surely, this isn't the temple grounds, that's one thing out of the list..."

He just kept walking and walking... but it seems that there is no barricade insight, holding him back, so he keeps wandering without any certain destination in mind... however, all it did was further feed him with frustration, since he was in a hurry, as the memories slowly returned to him...

"Xiao has protected me... and she will fight Feng, there is no questioning that... but there is NO way in hell, she will be able to manage him... if I can't do it, then we already know, we're in serious trouble... I need to get back to the real world, I don't care how, but I must get back, before this man does god knows what to her..."

This time, he began to pick up speed, as he wanted to hurry... but even then, it felt like he was running for an eternity... it began to wear on his mind real fast, as he ran aimlessly in the darkness...

"This has got to be a real bad joke...! Where is the exit...?! I need to wake up! Otherwise, Xiao is lost- wait, what is that?!"

As he looked into the distance, he could see a white speck in the distance... he already began to feel more hopeful and so, he had to pick up more momentum as he goes in the direction of that white glimmer in the distance...

"This could be my ticket out of here...! I don't know what it is, but it's better than nothing! Let's hurry up!"

But suddenly, he gets surrounded by red flaming lights and he began to feel immense amounts of pain in his mind. He shrieked, fell on one knee and clutched the side of his head with one hand, before looking up to see, what causes him to kneel in agony... it felt like... all the colours in his presence began to fade away and his blood began to freeze up, once he looks at the very presence of evil, that has haunted him since teen-hood... the purple skin, the marvelous, yet intimidating sight of his majestic wings, the glaring red eye on his forehead, the god-like frame and this one-of-kind, ominous aura emanating from the very presence of this being... it was all just right...

"D-Devil!"

Just by hearing his personal heir say his name out loud, was enough to form a malicious grin on the being's lips...

"My, my, my reputation seems to proceed me, I see... it's been ages, Jin Kazama."

"W-What are you doing here...?!"

"Is this a way to greet an old friend of yours? I have been with you, ever since you came into existence and this is your way of saying hello to me? Not very nice, isn't it?"

"I said... what are you doing here?! Did you come to haunt me again...?!"

This made the evil entity chuckle in the most mocking way possible, as he realized, how desperate Jin was at the moment...

"Haunting you? That's the kind of question, only a naive child would ask and you don't seem like one... but since I am so nice... to answer your question... look around you... all this, is part of your mind, your sub-conscious to be exact. This also means in other words..."

He then began to smile in a freaky way.

"...where you are, I am there too."

That made Jin snap, so he launches forward to punch Devil, but as soon as his fist should make contact with him, he realizes... he only hit air. This evil being was gone... without a single trace... he began to look desperately around.

"W-Where did he go?!"

He then realizes, all the red flames have disappeared... this meant for him two things: Better stay to lose Devil's game of trickery and lose control over his devil gene OR better take the chance and run for the exit...

"I have to get out of here... I can't let Devil get the best of me, not right now, when everyone needs me... I can't break my promise, they depend on me!"

(BGM for the situation: Eel Engine)

He then began to run again and this time, he picked up way more momentum than normal... but along the way, he was quick to realize, that Devil won't make it easy for him to get back... as he kept running, Devil would occasionally show up and throw all sorts of obstacles in his way... he would raise the level of the path he was running down across, he would throw red flame projectiles at him from his hands and the path before Jin, would start to spin to send him in a spinning frenzy... but soon, it all stopped, as Jin had to stop, because of Devil blocking his path once more by surrounding him with his hellish red flames... seeing Jin acting all desperate actually gave the pure evil entity a good laugh.

"Hahaha, that's a laugh, for someone who wants to get rid of me so badly, you surely don't do that much of a good job right now..."

"What do you want from me anyway?! Let me go, I need to wake up and help the others! Feng will not pull any punches against them, I am certain of that, so... away with you!"

"Indeed, I am aware of your current dilemma... however, there is one problem... you can't stand back up on your own. Your medical condition doesn't seem to be at its best right now..."

Hearing that from him, slowly began to make Jin grow suspicious... and doubtful even. Whether Devil could read his mind or not... he could literally SMELL his desperation.

"Why? I still got some strength left, it's not much, but it SHOULD be enough to stop him from getting his fingers on Xiao..."

"...getting doubtful now, are you? In case you didn't notice, your body doesn't move an inch and you couldn't possibly tell me that to MY face, that YOU can still fight. If you really could, then you wouldn't even have landed here. Right now, THIS is the only place, where I am still able to communicate with you."

"...what exactly are you plotting?"

"Don't think, I am going to let you get out there again and risk getting you killed, I don't want to feel responsible for it... your power is fading away, pretty fast on its own and with you having let yourself get beat like that by this man, honestly... your future right now looks pretty grim. The only hope, left for you to grasp on in this very moment, is..."

His look became a sinister grin, that might haunt Jin's dreams forever...

"...to let me take over from here."

"...What?! OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

And with that, Jin attacked the demon again, but he disappeared, as fast as he returned... Jin couldn't take it anymore, he began speeding through the eternal blackness, not caring, whether he will fall or not. Fortunately, his destination is not far anymore, he could almost make out, what is in this distance... But Devil STILL wouldn't let him get to the place, where the white light shines. As the path goes on and on, he still had the nerve to throw obstacles in Jin's way... but he began to get the pattern down and eventually, his goal was the closest as it could possibly be... but Devil, once again, stopped him and another conversation occurred between the two... and this time, it seems, as if Devil really grows tired of this entire situation...

"Would you finally quit making a fool out of yourself? I don't have time for this childish nonsense..."

"Don't get any ideas! It's because of you, that my life has gone downhill in the first place! If it hadn't been for you, I would still have a normal life, living free from any fear of you maybe breaking out one day! What makes you think, that I'd seriously let you control me, after all this crap you put me through?! Never in hell, would I let you tempt me!"

"Oh, so it's me, who is the bad guy here now, right? Let me ask you... was it ME, that actually went out to go for revenge against Kazuya and Heihachi? Was it ME, that tried to forget everything and actually start denying my own past, where I come from and who my teachers were? And was it ME, that dared to wage a world war across the globe? If you are looking for an answer to all this, let me be the one to put it shortly: No. All this, was YOUR doing, NOT MINE."

Hearing all this from Devil himself, the one creature, he tried to dismiss for so long, made Jin go numb from the inside... because he began to realize... that he was right. But that wasn't calming him down, if anything, it made everything worse.

"I may have done everything you just mentioned, but I can't blame MYSELF, for everything that YOU are! It was not rare, that often times, I lost control over myself and then what happened? You had to show yourself and actually let me destroy everything in sight and put everyone at risk! What is worse, being a murderer of thousands of people or being cursed with a monster, that will cause more casualties than normal?!"

"Well, blaming someone else for all your problems is not quite my idea of wanting to improve and move on. Everyone else is to blame, but NOT you, clearly not. ...how can you live with yourself?"

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

And the same routine went on, until Jin finally reached the white light and once he reached it, he could now clearly see what it looked like... it was a black, spike-covered, treasure chest, with two white seals, that seem to replace the keyhole... the sight was quite unusual to the young Kazama and he began questioning, what that might be... until his thoughts were interrupted by Devil, who came flying at him from behind... but because of him being in the light, he could only stare in surprise, as apparently, Devil can't get pass that light, as it seemed like a barrier that protects the chest... Jin became curious though and steps out of the light, as he wanted to know more about this treasure-chest, what it contains and why Devil can't come anywhere close to it physically... so he steps out of the light and asked.

"Devil... what is this treasure-chest doing here? And how come, that only I can touch it... but not you?"

The satanic being looked at the Kazama with folded arms.

"Don't you know? THIS... is the gate... to your heart. Ever since that member of the Sirius organization captured you and found a way to seal me away into this realm... this treasure-chest came to be... and it's taboo for me to make contact with it, because this purifying light is created to keep evil spirits or demons away from reaching the very core of your soul..."

He throws another look at the object...

"And this... is also the reason, why I wanted you here... open one of seals and set me free. If you break it, then you should gain enough strength to get back up again and finish what you started."

It became clear now to Jin... Devil wants him to free him by his own will. The thought alone made him cringe...

"Heh, freeing you... is this a joke? You seriously want ME, to let you enter my soul and take control over me?! You've GOT to be kidding me...!"

"This is the only option you have left... you can't fight in the current condition you're in, so better do yourself and everyone else that you care for a favour and do as I tell you!"

"I don't take orders from anybody! Shove that up where the sun doesn't shine, I would NEVER give into you! Even if I was over the edge of life, I would STILL not ask for YOUR assistance!"

"You fool! Do you really want to see your oh-so-beloved friends die?! And you want to become a better man, I can't believe this... could you remain any more in denial about all this?! Why won't you realize, that you need me?"

"Because I gave a promise to all of them... to never get tempted by the power you offer me...! HOW WOULD I LIVE WITH MYSELF, IF I GO BACK ON MY WORD?!"

"Is that so? You should never listen to me, despite the odds being really against you right now and you being pretty much powerless in the condition you're in, how does that make sense, if you can't even save them from the danger they have to face? A promise... has no meaning... if you can't keep it!"

"I am not even asking you to understand this! All I ask for, is you to simply let me get back to the real world, just leave me be!"

"You know, that I can't... because it's my duty to watch over you as the heir of the devil gene..."

"Your duty?"

At this point, Devil HAD to drop the menacing attitude and actually talk normally to Jin... he realized, there was simply no point in trying to provoke him...

"Listen... we're out of options... it is my duty to make sure, that you don't die, otherwise, I will die with you... I can't simply let you get out there and do it with the risk being way too high of dying. I may not know you well... but looking at you, is already good enough for me to conclude, that you don't seem to be like the rest... you have a pure heart, something I can't change, even if I take control over you... I am not asking of you to see me as some kind of partner or friend, but... how can you say, that you want to become a better person, if you can't even accept my existence inside you? So far, you have proven nothing, but the complete opposite... you CAN'T move forward, if you keep denying reality. Making false promises isn't any better, as you keep lying to yourself... but in order for you to understand the stakes... I suggest you looking at this..."

Within a few seconds, Devil has summoned a crystal ball, that allowed him to see through the window of Jin's soul... and Jin became shocked, once he saw what was going on outside... Xiaoyu was trying her best to fight off Feng, but she already looks quite beat up... and her arms were covered in plenty of bruises... but she kept on going, not caring about anything else, but Feng... who makes the impression, as if she hasn't even touched him in the slightest... and he began mocking Xiao...

"For someone so brave, you really lack in skill... I don't think I need to repeat to myself by saying: You need more skilled partners. But do not worry, if you really want to see everyone again, let me send you to the heavens above first..."

Feng didn't know, if his plan of forcing Jin to get back, just at the mere sight of him clobbering someone close to him, was really working, since he couldn't tell, if Jin was even watching him, beating up his closest of all friends or not... but he kept going, just to test how far he can go and with Xiao preparing herself one more time for him, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to go all out, once she isn't watching her steps...

"I am not going to die here...! I'll never give up...! Come on, and face me, coward...!"

Xiao then waited for Feng to come closer... and as expected, he did so, making her quickly change into her Phoenix stance, thus dodging Feng's roundhouse kick... despite her lack of power, Feng was surely surprised about both her agility and flexibility... that one moment gave Xiaoyu the perfect moment to catapult him brutally in the air with both palms, as she lifts herself off the ground and jumped after him, before nailing him back to the ground with a spinning "Cyanide", making him the ground hard, giving her only more free attacking space. And as he lands on the floor, she sped forward to catapult him further away, by kneeling forward and jab him two more times, which made him roll across the floor... but just as she came close again to keep hitting him, he suddenly grabbed her right foot and kicks her against the stomach with one leg, while he was laying on his stomach... Jin began growling... he couldn't possibly accept Xiao giving up her life like that... but he was still denying the devil gene...

"No, no... I c-can't...! She needs me... what should I do...?! I can't let it all be for naught...!"

But he had no choice, but to keep watching... and while he didn't pay attention, Feng has already begun torturing Xiao mercilessly, much like Hwoarang... he punches her repeatedly in the air, before nailing down on the floor with one stomp from his left foot, almost crushing her bones... the scream could be heard, even in Jin's head... and Asuka couldn't do anything, she was way too exhausted to break in and help her... and just as Feng begins speaking again...

"I don't think, this is going to work with you... should I kill you now and get over with it? I am really starting to grow weary of you weaklings..."

...and he picks the female Chinese up by her throat, it became clear, that he was planning on choking her to death. The Kazama could clearly see, how Xiao desperately tries to break free by kicking the evil fighter in the gut, but Feng renders her unable, by grabbing both of her petite feet with one hand and just as the grip around her throat seemingly became tighter, Jin saw, how much power Xiao began to lose in her own grip around Feng's wrist... this was when he shook his head, looked away, before running over to the treasure-chest.

"If he wants to play like this, fine, I will play along!"

This made the supernatural entity reveal a grin of satisfaction...

"So NOW we're finally talking..."

"What should I do? Simply pull on the seal and rip it out?"

"Yes."

But Jin became confused about the fact, that there were TWO seals... he began to worry about what might happen, if he opens ALL two seals at once... but he didn't want to risk of going too far and ending up in a far worse state...

"Devil... what happens, if I release the two seals in one shot?"

"THAT... I can't tell... the best way, is to find out for yourself. I cannot estimate, on how the transformation process will proceed from here on out... one seal should be enough though..."

But Jin also grew suspicious... he couldn't trust Devil. What if once he opens one seal and by the next one, he will force him to open the second one against his will, just to get free? It was trial and error... but he had to risk. And as he thought for a moment in hindsight, Asuka came to his mind and he realized... she was his last hope. Should it go out of hand, she might be able to save him and everyone else... it was unclear, whether it will work or not, because aside from his mother, he wouldn't know, if Asuka possesses the same ability like her... but there was no other way, it MUST work... Jin decides to put EVERYTHING on one card.

"OK... let's hope for the best... Xiao, hang in there!"

He then bends forward and without hesitation, he ripped one of the seals off the treasure chest and the moment he did that, a purple smoke began engulfing him from head to toe... and Devil came closer to him... grabbing him by his arms, while looking at him in all seriousness.

"Are you ready? This might now become unpleasant for you..."

"Just... DO IT!"

Then Devil began saying words in an unknown language, as Jin then gets soaked up in a ball full of water and with the smoke, it began turning into a purple water-coffin for him... but that was the least pleasant above all. After Devil has finished with his secret formula, Jin began screaming in agony, as he began clutching his head and he becomes a miniscule water-ball, while Devil turns into a giant, who leaps the ball in his hands, before closing in and making everything turn white, as Jin returns back to the real world... and the moment he opened his eyes, you could see, how they lost all innocence and purity and how they became grey, cold and unforgiving...

(BGM for the situation: Tears of Grief)

The entire world for Xiao began to faint away right in front of her eyes, as her sight became blurry and she almost lost consciousness, as Feng was ready to send her to heaven... he began chuckling, before spinning his hand, ready to stab through Xiao with his "Death Touch"...

"Time's up for you, my sweet little thing..."

"J-Jin... I-I am sorry..."

But just when it all seemed lost for Xiao... suddenly, Feng felt an inhumane pain, running through his entire body, that was only caused by one punch against the gut, forcing him to let go of the young girl, who found herself getting safely caught by the one, who just freed her from the unforgiving hold of Feng... it was Jin... and once he jumped to safety with her in his arms... both she and Asuka could clearly see, what has become of him... and their shock couldn't be described in words, especially Xiao clutched her mouth shut in fear and shock... the sight of Jin alone... not only did his eyes lose all their colours, but his skin has also obtained a grey tone, his face had devilish marks all over, and his trademark red gauntlets had now spikes on them... but what really stuck out, was the purple aura that surrounded him.

"No... no... he really did it...! Oh no..."

And even though Asuka herself was fearless, THIS... was a totally different story. And she began to remember Jin's words about his devil gene and this evil power, that it possess... looking at him closely, she could kind of guess... this has got to be, what the devil gene looks like on the outside...

"Is this... still Jin...? He looks totally different from before..."

But as Jin looks at the two girls, they could see, he still had some humanity left in him, just enough, so that he could go in rescue Xiao in time, before completely losing control... and he looked at the two, especially at Xiaoyu, with apologetic eyes, that spoke loud volumes for the female Chinese...

"Forgive me... Xiao... but I have to... finish this... for your safety...!"

This forced her to now shed all the tears she has prevented from falling thus far... all her fears have become reality, as if the only silver lining for her on the horizon has faded away into nothingness... with Jin now being no longer himself, she began to feel cold and lonely... and as he stood up to face Feng one final time, he lost his innocent look and finally submitted to the power running through his veins... and once he began to snicker in the most creeping way possible, Xiao's heart began to shatter further... this set the tone... now Jin was really gone... she covered her face with both hands, as the began to tremble... it all feels like she has completely failed her mission to protect her friend from whatever was hiding in him...

"I-I can't believe this... t-this must be a bad dream... it has to... then why can't I wake up...?! I wanted to protect him from this... thing... and now... I am such a failure... it was my duty, my promise to remain by his side and assure safety for him... was it all for nothing...?!"

Meanwhile, Feng has recovered from that blow, but the pain from that one hit still burnt inside him, like a burning arrow... and as he faced Jin, he then noticed, that something was different... and once he realizes, what that power could be, he began to grin in a confident way. His plan succeeded. Jin was now at full power, exactly what he wanted. He gets into stance and stomps the ground once, before starting to smirk confidently.

"So you finally show your true power... just the challenge I have been looking for, ever since I came here... now then, come at me with everything you have in you and prove your worth, Jin Kazama!"

All he got as a response, was an insanity-filled laughter, coming from the now possessed Jin...

"Do you still believe, you have a chance against me, you fool?! I am no longer Jin Kazama... I am... your godfather of fear... and now, you shall feel my wrath!"

"Come..."

"With the best of wishes..."

(BGM for the situation: Tabuu)

And with that, Feng began charging directly at Jin and this time, he went to use his golden dragon power-up to surprise him again later with his own power, that he absorbed, but as soon as his punch was actually to hit Jin... he grabbed wrist with such speed, it caused a little shockwave... everyone was shocked at how quick he was to react like this, he didn't even flinch one bit, before that... and before Feng knew it, he found himself getting brutally kneed in the gut and much like that punch before the fight, it wasn't like before, where the hits never really bothered him that much, because now, Jin's power was tremendous and it was nothing like when Hwo and Asuka did their best together, no, he actually felt that one and it forced him to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony with one arm, while having his eyes still focused in his enemy...

"W-What was that...?!"

And before he knew, he found himself already being dragon-uppercutted by Jin and as he lands brutally on the ground, he does a "Spinning Demon" to let him kiss the floor twice, before mercilessly kicking him away by the head... and Feng had to groan out loud in pain, because this was actually way too much for him this...

"Argh!"

And then, as he keeps his back turned to Jin, once he stood back, he waited for him to get closer and once he did, he attempted to stomp the Kazama down, with his back still facing him... but it didn't work... because Jin sidesteps, thus catching him off guard and then uppercutting him in the air with his "Devil Twister", sending him into a spinning frenzy in mid-air, before letting him bounce off the floor after impact and then dragon-uppercutting him again, but this time, after the punch landed... Jin jumps straight up in the air, with a dazed and surprised Feng, in his grip, before brutally smashing him back to the ground, making him almost scream out loud in pain... despite this no longer being the Jin, Asuka and Xiao grew to know, Jin's cousin secretly wanted him to win and pummel her arch-enemy into oblivion... it felt wrong, but she didn't feel guilty for feeling this way... after all this mess, nothing brought her more satisfaction than watching Feng suffer, for all this crap he made her go through... especially Hwoarang.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the way, beat this assface into the next week...!"

However, Xiao was feeling anything, but excited for what is currently happening... she was terrified... and she began to pray for a miracle to happen, so that Jin finally stops... who is right now still busy, ripping Feng Wei a new one... the latter tried his best to try and top Jin, but no matter what he tried, it gets either blocked or countered in one form or another and soon, he realized, he had to step up, otherwise... he will be in a very bad spot... but then he remembered his special ability... so he began to grin confidently...

"Whatever, he might be twice as powerful now... but he is still no match for my golden dragon... he should have known better..."

He then stops attacking him altogether and decides to retreat for a bit... just to meditate and keep the power he collected from Jin under control... but for some unexplainable reason, Jin didn't bother stopping him from doing so... Asuka and Xiaoyu wanted to warn him, as they feared the worst, if he now absorbs Jin's powers, he will be in danger, especially in this extremely powerful state.

"Jin, what are you waiting for?! Attack him, he did the exact same thing to me and if you don't hurry, you will be in deep shit!"

"I know, you can't hear us, but please... stop him, don't give him any opportunities!"

However, then they notice Jin starting to chuckle... and everyone realizes, that something was fishy... until Feng then starts feeling extreme pains throughout his entire body and he began to look at his hands, as they start to grow pale and he began to feel insane amounts of weakness... as his body began to feel heavy...

"W-W-What is happening?! T-This is not supposed to happen...!"

All this made the young Kazama laugh like a maniac...

"Hahahaha! Moron, as if I didn't notice... you planned on using my own powers against me. Not a bad plan, I will give you that, but apparently you haven't made your homework... the power of a devil CANNOT be tamed, the pure energy of the morals may work well with you, but mine will only take in the pure energy as personal feast of those, that aren't up to the challenge... which will explain your feeble form."

He then showed an insanity-filled grin.

"In other words... I REVERSED your abilities, as long as we fight... instead of becoming stronger with each hit you land, you now become WEAKER, because MY power, that you were so foolish to eat up like bait, will eat up yours as we go... hehehe... your end is near."

Now... this was a huge insult for Feng on a personal level. He should have seen this coming from far away, but instead, he was so focused on winning, by using Jin's powers against him, that he didn't realize, it wasn't HIS power that he was absorbing all the time, but Devil's...

"Curse you...! Do NOT think, that I am through with you!"

"Hehehe, I dare you to try..."

And then, the whole fight went over to the second and final phase... but this time, Jin was the first to go and despite Feng trying his best to defend himself, by blocking each one of the Kazama's kicks or punches... and in the end, he was so weak, that Jin saw this as his chance to get on with it and finally put an end to this desperate struggle...

"THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS, FOOL!"

Jin starts to spark black-red all over his body, before speeding to Feng, to first stun him with a punch to the chest, before speeding through him repeatedly with such speed, you could barely see him whenever he passes through the Chinese, a spark of red energy came, indicating that a punch landed and he repeated the whole process, until Jin stuns Feng again, by kicking him in the gut, before jumping high up into the air...

"I will teach you fear..."

...and as he said that, black wings out of black clouds formed behind his back and his eyes start glowing a sparkling red, as he seems to prepare for something deadly. Feng saw that and he could kind of predict, of what was coming next. But he pulled his final trump card. He uses the abilities of the golden dragon one final time to protect himself...

"...GO TO HELLLLLL!"

...before Jin then fires one deadly "Hellfire Blast" from his eyes at Feng, which made Xiao already shriek out in fear and sorrow, as tears began running down her cheeks once more.

"JIN, STOOOOP!"

But sadly, her words reached him too late, as the blast has already struck Feng... but after Jin landed back safely on the ground, with his cloudy wings slowly fading away... he began to pant, indicating that this one attack has cost him a lot of energy... but he was so sure of himself, that he has won...

"There is no way... he could have withstood that... HUH?!"

But as the dust settles, everyone, even Jin were shocked to see, what truly happened to Feng... at the last second, he must have created a shield, held up by the golden dragon-like wings on his back... but even he doesn't seem to make a very healthy impression, because that one move must have cost him energy as well...

"That was a close call... it seems, my loyal dragon hasn't given up on me yet..."

(BGM for the situation: Tears of Grief)

Asuka and Xiaoyu were at loss for words... no fighter, they have ever encountered, has ever been able to last for so long... and it pissed Asuka off again.

"This guy is unbelievable... he can't be human... he just can't be, someone is pulling my leg... WHY WON'T HE SIMPLY STAND DOWN?!"

But Xiao was more concerned about Jin, since he has begun to shake... it appears so, that because of his failure to destroy Feng, his frustration has grown to now unreasonable measures... not even Devil seemed to be able to tame his own anger... and it truly shocked her, once she saw Jin running towards Feng, jumping on top of him and starting to repeatedly punch him in the face, he simply refused to show no mercy and humility... and it became really unbearable for Xiao to watch... this wasn't Jin. He would have shown honour, but instead, he does the exact same thing, that Feng did to Hwoarang...

"You! Bastard! Why! Won't you! Simply! Die?!"

Xiao simply had enough, she abruptly stood up and ran over, with tears running down her cheeks as she then shrieked out in grief...

"Please Jin, NO MORE!"

...as she then throws her petite arms around the young Kazama's torso to hug him tenderly in hopes of finally reaching him. And to Asuka's shock... it worked... Jin finally calmed down... and as the female Chinese began to speak in a gentle, yet breaking tone, as tears began to shed even more, Jin's eyes turned from grey to brown for a second there, showing his true self for a few moments.

"You can stop now... please... it's over, you've already won... don't keep hurting him... come to your senses, please... do it for me..."

Then, silence broke in... before Jin stood up, letting Feng retreat a little away from him, with Xiao still embracing the Kazama protectively... the Chinese panted, before starting to grin... but that grin wasn't malicious or mean-spirited... surprisingly, it was a grin, that showed his pride of having fought with Jin. He had to pay his respects.

"Heh, good job... for someone so human, you have managed to overcome me. I pull my hat before you, Jin Kazama. And as a reward, this time, I let you all go... but remember... by the next time we meet again, you will NOT be so lucky. Farewell."

And with that, he grows actual dragon wings, before flying away into the distance... Asuka wanted to follow him, but it was too late... before she simply spat to the side, basically wanting to flip the bird.

"Son of a bitch... and next time, you will be in for a treat."

But just as he was gone, Xiao felt her hand being gently touched by Jin's... it was trembling, but it felt warm and reassuring to know, Jin was still there... and as he turns around, she could see... that the devil marks were still there, but his eyes weren't soulless grey anymore... and as he puts her hands on her bare arms, she began to feel cozy... until all of a sudden, Jin starts to scream in pain again.

"Jin! What's wrong?!"

"X-Xiao... s-stay away from me...! P-Please...! Before you get hurt...!"

"No! I won't-"

But then, he lost control again and he starts going insane... he starts shooting lasers everywhere and then, he punches Xiao down to the ground, before targeting her with a "Hellfire Blast", making her look at him with wide eyes of pure shock... Asuka wants to come for her help, but she was a little too far away...

"Oh no! She is going to die, what should I do?! I should have warned her! XIAO!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	25. Bonds Get Formed

**Chapter 25: Bonds Get Formed**

(Opening: Three Days Grace - Break)

It seemed, as if victory has been pushed aside by a more severe issue... with Feng having fled, all that was left, was Jin having completely lost hold of himself and it got so bad, that not even Devil could hold him back from doing any more damage... and with his power now running rampant throughout his entire body, it all led to Xiaoyu paying the price for not having fled, while she could... and there she was, completely defenceless, laying on the floor with a bleeding forehead, ready to take in the laser, that the possessed Jin targets at her... and despite her running over to help her... she realized, she was not going to make it, as the laser will also hit her, once he was done with Xiao... and as soon as Jin's blood-curdling, demonic shriek came, ready to shoot the beam through his closest partner... Xiao has already begun accepting her fate... until suddenly, Jin gets hit by something real strong and his laser missed the female Chinese, but it didn't help much, since the laser was now shooting in Asuka's direction and once she saw it coming, it was too late for her... but then, by a happy coincidence, Hwoarang was laying right next to her and as soon as the laser came deadly close to her, he opens his eyes, thus awakening from his slumber and then jumping forward to make her fall down, just barely avoiding the projectile... the one, who just saved the young fighter was a big surprise, especially for Xiao... she would recognize her anywhere with these orange rings...

"PANDA! I am so glad!"

The black-white coloured bear turns around to greet her master with a reassuring look in her eyes, while starting to make typical bear sounds, as a way of communicating with her...

"(Looks like my arrival couldn't be anymore suitable. I am really happy to see you, still alive and well, Xiao...)"

"B-But... how did you get here? We told you to stay at home and guard the house... don't tell me, you smuggled yourself in our ship..."

"(And then what? Should I risk your lives, no way. You should have known better to take me along. I remain your guard until the end, get over it...)"

Xiao then stood up, to go and hug Panda, as she was happy to see her pet again and that she just saved her bacon...

"What would I do without you...?"

But then, the two looked over to see Jin standing back up... Panda then protectively pressed Xiao against her fluffy body, while starting to growl...

"(I should have known, that there was something wrong, I knew from the start, that this was not going to end well... but apparently, Jin has completely lost it...)"

The young Chinese looked at her pet bodyguard, completely drowned in sorrows, desperately trying not to break down in tears again... she couldn't bear this sight of her best friend, being in this state of pure insanity, without any hopes of breaking free on his own, anymore...

"What are we going to do? Is there any way to save him, to make him wake up from this nightmare that he currently lives through...?"

"(I am afraid not... at least, as long as he stands...)"

"There has got to be a way...! We can't let him remain like this forever...! Who knows, what will happen, if he runs off on his own and starting chaos anywhere unwanted...?!"

But then, Jin was preparing himself to attack again and Panda pushes Xiao away, as she wanted to take over from here...

"(I will take care of him, you better stay away, because I will expect this to get ugly...)"

"But... what if he kills you...? Jin has completely lost his human side and he fights like barbarian, and it doesn't help, that his Devil gene has even made him more powerful than usual..."

"(We may never know the outcome, but we have to try. You stay clear and try to recover and should I get hurt too much, let's exchange and hope for the best...)"

"Good luck..."

Jin began screaming in agony again, as he then looks at Panda with really angry eyes...

"Must... KILL... bear!"

"(Don't worry, Jin. We'll get you out of there, I will try to free you from this curse!)"

(BGM for the situation: Naughty Pilgrims)

And with that, Panda and Jin clash into another, wrestling to try and overcome the other to smash the one over onto the other side... both were growling to no end, trying their best, until Panda then tricks Jin into putting more effort into the grip, only that he didn't bother putting up his defences yet, and grabs him tightly to give him a hug, that became unbearably tight for the Kazama, almost breaking his ribs in the process, but before that could happen, the Kazama quickly knees Panda against her stomach and that hit was so intense, it made her eyes almost roll back into her skull... she then quickly found herself getting grabbed by her head, only to be then repeatedly getting kicked in the face, before Jin then throws her over to make her crash against a stone pillar...

"Panda!"

However, being the strong panda, that she is, she actually took it quite well and to catch the enraged Kazama off-guard, she rolled aside, as he believed, he could stomp on her from too greater height and as soon as he landed, he goes into her natural Hunting position... before uppercutting Jin into the air and then sending him flying with one paw hit from the left and once from the right, before completely sending him away with both paws in mid air...

"(I have to be careful... this was too easy...)"

(BGM for the situation: Healing Winds - SC2)

Meanwhile, as the fights continues on raging, Asuka then opened her eyes to see the one who saved her life once again, laying right next to her... and to her shock, it was Hwoarang... he looked at her with weak eyes, as he was panting exhausted... apparently, he was still worn out from the fight he had to endure with Feng and his entire body pained to death... but just the fact alone, that Hwoarang apparently was NOT dead after all... for the first time ever in her life, Asuka felt this overwhelming sensation of relief to her new partner in crime having survived... but despite his injuries, Hwo couldn't help, but tease her a little, as he always did... he grinned weakly and he looked at her saying...

"Hey... you doin' good...?"

He expected her actually to become angry immediately, but... surprisingly, what he got instead was watching her shedding tears, as she also began sobbing, as her eyes narrowed... and she began talking with an angry voice...

"You... you're such an asshole... if that number was supposed to be some kind of prank... I swear... and all you can is "Hey"...?! I thought you were dead, for god's sake...!"

Now, Hwo's heart really began to sink... he did not want her to react this way, but now that remembered what happened before... he could understand her pain...

"Sorry... I... uh..."

But all this was soon forgotten, as he found himself getting warmly embraced by the young Kazama... his eyes shot wide open, as he has never received this kind of treatment from her before... but he didn't mind ONE BIT... and as her hug became tighter and she began to speak in a trembling tone, as tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks, he had no choice, but to return it... he couldn't possibly decline this warm greeting from her... but slowly, since his body hurt him everywhere...

"Don't you EVER dare... doing that to me again... am I clear...?!"

"Hehe... I doubt, that will ever happen again, anyways... nuh-uh, I am not so easy to get rid of..."

"Just... shut up...!"

But as soon as her knee touched his broken leg... all fun was over... and Hwo comically began screaming, as tears shot up into his eyes he began frantically jerking around, desperately wanting her to climb off of him.

"Owwww! My leg! Watch your legs, will ya?!"

"Huh?!"

And so, Asuka got off and looked kind of shocked, but then comically shook her hands in an apologetic way, as she seemed to have forgotten, that his left leg was completely wrecked...

"Oops, my bad! Excuse my clumsiness, OK? Are we good?"

"Yeah whatever... but one thing is for sure... you really gotta get me to the hospital... I am not feeling so well anyways..."

However... it was when the two calmed, when Hwoarang realized that Feng was gone... he looked around and then looked at Asuka with confusion being literally written in his eyes...

"But... where is this Feng guy? Did he get away? I don't see him anywhere."

But the response he got was frustrating for not only him, but also Asuka, as she let her head hang and shake it in disapproval...

"Sadly, yes... but this... is not the real issue anymore, wanna check, what the REAL problem is at the moment? Check this out."

She points her thumb behind her to make Hwo see... that Panda was fighting with Jin. That alone seemed really weird to him, as he already began questioning what exactly happened here... but as his sight became more clear, he could now see, what was going on here... Jin had the Devil marks on his forehead... this alone brought old and very despised memories back to the Korean and he narrowed his eyes...

"Wait a sec... don't tell me... did this moron really-?!"

"Apparently so... I can't tell... but the marks alone are the worst signs possible."

Hwo began balling a fist together with his right hand... and he looked at it with angry eyes...

"Damn it, Jin... WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING?! Was he that desperate to win, he had to resort to that kind of drastic measure... more like, the TABOO kind of measure?!"

The young Kazama sighed and shook her head in shame...

"I don't know, Hwoarang... as you can see, this Panda over there, seems to fight him off, just in hopes of taming him, as good as possible... but something tells me, this is not going to work like that... once someone loses control, beating the crap out of the latter is NOT that much of a great idea..."

But when Xiaoyu turned his attention away from the fight for one moment... she then noticed Hwoarang being in a sitting position, next to Asuka, still alive and well... she clutched her mouth shut, as she then ran over, starting to weep again, but this time out of relief and happiness combined, she had to yell out in joy...

"HWOARANG! YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!"

"Xiao?! Uh-"

And before long, he found himself getting hugged to death by the female Chinese, but he didn't mind that one bit and he snaked one arm around her comfortingly, as she began to weep in joy.

"We really thought, we have lost you forever... I am so glad, you are still breathing..."

"Hehehe, it's OK..."

However, his look then quickly darkened, since the problem with Jin being out of control, has not been solved yet... and he began to speak in a serious tone.

"But that's not important right now... what is important though, is how the hell are we going to stop Jin from going on a rampage like this?"

And once they saw Panda being chocked by Jin and she only BARELY got free, before he could even shoot her laser through her, he continued on with his monologue.

"And we better do it quick, 'cause Panda won't be able to hold out much longer of this ordeal..."

Xiao sat down and began thinking, as she press her balled fist against her chin... and as she began thinking, she sort of scratched everything potentially essential from her memory together...

"Hold on... hasn't Jin once mentioned, that he needed another Kazama to help him tame his Devil gene...? And that he needed someone of his own kind, that has a pure heart... much like his mother...?"

Then, she remembered, how Jin and her once tried to get Asuka under their wings, but she refused, because of her own reasons, not to help any criminals... and she then slapped her against the side of her head, as she groaned out loud and then looked over to Asuka...

"Oh man, how could I have been so stupid? We need YOU to help Jin, Asuka! How could I forget about that?!"

But she didn't quite get it, since in the heat of the battle, she completely forgot about it... so she had a good reason to be confused...

"What do you mean...? Wait, you...!"

"Remember, how me and Jin tried to convince you to come with us, so that we can be secured from Jin's Devil gene taking over him? I can't say, if it really works, since we have only seen one another once, but here is the deal: Jin needs another Kazama, with a pure heart, that is able to keep him line, should EVERYTHING get out of hand with his Devil gene... do you have a pure heart?"

"So it's ME, who he needs right now, from what I can gather... I see... Well... regarding your question, I am a vigilante, I fight for justice, even though I get myself into trouble with that, but... is that enough?"

Xiao nodded.

"Should be... as long as you have no malicious intentions, it should be MORE than enough... and he once theorized, that it should also be enough to just TOUCH him in one form or another... but of course, it has to be a full-blooded Kazama... like you."

Hwoarang slowly grew to understand, what Xiao was talking about...

"So the plan is: Asuka should save Jin's bacon, by just coming in physical contact with him, so that the Devil gene can go bye-bye. Right?"

"Yup..."

But he had to point at Jin again, with a more bemused look...

"Only problem though... I doubt, that he will ever stand still in this state... the best thing we could do, is simply try to knock him out, as best as we can..."

Once he mentioned "we", both Xiao and Asuka look at him with baffled eyes.

"Wait, "we"?! Are you serious?! You still wanna fight?! I thought your leg is broken!"

"Yeah, my right leg has given up on me... but I don't care... we NEED to stop Jin and looking at you two and Panda, none of you make a pretty healthy impression to me... so this makes us even... let us finish the job together then..."

"But... how are you going to do it? Can you even stand?"

Hwo slowly lifted himself off the ground and despite gritting his teeth in agony from the inhumane pain, he still managed to go through with this and as soon as he stood on both feet, he began hopping on his broken leg, to demonstrate.

"This... shall do it... do not worry, I am used to this... I will make sure to not put too much weight on my right leg, I will just hop over..."

Both girls look at one another with concerned eyes, before sighing and shrugging, as Asuka then nodded...

"Alright... you can help... but I will NOT let you fight at the front! Forget it, I am not going to stand there and watch you get killed."

"There is no need for that anyway, as I have a plan... you two try to keep him busy, as long as you can and Panda shall help you... and while you are fighting him off, I will prepare myself for one, final and fully charged kick, that should be able to knock Jin out for sure... once I am done, shoot him right over to me and this should do the trick. Are we good?"

All three nodded, as both girls grew determined again and all three, as a sign that they are ready, put one hand over the other and then yelled out together:

"Let's go!"

(BGM for the situation: Final Boss - DMC3)

Both and Xiaoyu and Asuka were running towards Jin, as he was about to shoot Panda through her chest with another laser...

"Your end is near, you filthy animal... DIE!"

Panda was laying on the ground, covered in many bloody bruises and she was ready to face her fate... until Jin gets then kicked away, thus terminating the laser, that he was about to shoot... and once he turned around, he saw Asuka and Xiaoyu, both in their respective fighting stances, ready to face him and end this... Panda slowly crawled on all fours over to Xiaoyu and made agonizingly pain-filled bear sounds.

"(Thank you, Xiao... I am sorry, I was not able to tame his rage...)"

She brushed her hand up and down Panda's head in a comforting way, before looking back over to Jin, who glares at the two girls with murderous intents...

"It's OK, Panda... but now, let's finish this TOGETHER. We can still win, his Devil gene hasn't won yet...!"

"That's right! Hey, whoever you are inside there, I don't know if you can even hear us, but let me tell you right now, consider your sorry ass beat!"

And all they got as a response from Jin, was a animal-like growling...

"You little... you shall be the first ones to feel the wrath... OF GOD!"

And as he said that, he fired another laser at the three, but all three managed to dodge it and both Xiao and Asuka used that one moment of carelessness to go and send Jin flying high up into the air, by letting the Chinese first send him flying with two uplifting jabs, before Asuka comes to elbow him left and right, before sending him crashing against the ground, making him bounce off, giving Panda free space to ram him further away from the themselves... but Jin quickly recovered from that, as he jumped far forward like a Kangaroo to get to the three girls and surprise them with a "Spinning Demon" and as he was targeting Xiao with a sparking "Rising Uppercut", Asuka threw herself against him with her elbow, pretty much cancelling this plan of his, however... this lead to her being targeted this time, as Jin grabbed her by the neck, before throwing her high up into the air, before jumping up to follow her and then smash her painfully back to the ground... this forced her to spit plenty of blood, but after this, instead of letting him win, Asuka starts punching her cousin left and right repeatedly, just in hopes that he would let her go, however this soon came to an end, as the Kazama grabbed her by her head and repeatedly smashes the back of her head against the hard ground... and all this was witnessed by Hwoarang, who was hopping on his right leg, before starting to grit his teeth tightly together and stop hopping... as soon as he did, the pain in his leg became UNBEARABLE and he felt like, he is going to faint, however, he then raised his left leg, preparing to charge it up to kick Jin with it in hopes of finally getting him, once the girls are ready...

"Damn it, damn it, damn it... I hope they hurry up... my leg is already starting to officially hate me to death... come on...!"

It felt like, he is being torn apart from the inside out, that is how strong the pain in his right leg was... hell would be way more bearable than this... but the adrenaline rush he slowly began to receive helped him a little to ignore the pain and instead focusing on his final attack...

Meanwhile, as Jin prepared to shoot a laser at Asuka, who was laying right below him, Panda then comes and rams Jin brutally away from her, before helping her up with one of her paws. But then Xiao came to pull both out of the way, since Jin shot another laser... but she didn't quite calculate properly on where Jin was actually shooting and it all ended with the beam striking her shoulder, making her scream out loud in pain after contact, before clutching her burnt and bleeding shoulder, before backtracking to avoid Jin further and Asuka and Panda helped her... all three realized, this needed to end NOW... they can't hold on much longer... all three have suffered terrible injuries up until now, all inflicted by Jin and Feng and they were exhausted to no end, despite their fighting spirits still going... Asuka checked the female Chinese's shoulder and she grew concerned, as the injury didn't look harmless one bit...

"Oh lordy... this looks like serious business... this needs to be treated immediately."

"No...! We can go and get our treatment later...! We need to save Jin first...!"

"Are you sure, that you are going to manage? You don't look too good..."

"No, I will be fine...! Let's just go and end this! The longer we stall, the worse it will become for Jin! Come on!"

"Y-Yes."

And then all three charged for another assault and this time, it was Panda who is to uppercut Jin into the air, so high in fact, Xiao went by, jumped high up into the air, before jabbing Jin back down with both arms, giving Asuka the chance to go and first knee him in the back, before elbowing to the ground and then sending him flying away from them with a "Shikeitai"... but as expected, Jin quickly recovered from that and it all continued on from here with him striking again, further injuring the females, but eventually, even he grew exhausted and all three girls saw this as the perfect chance for Hwoarang to end it all... and then, all three girls, after having let Asuka punch her cousin left and right for a few times, kicked Jin away towards Hwoarang, who then yells out...

"EAT THIS, YOU DEVIL PIECE OF SHIT!"

And as Jin turns around, it was too late... as soon as Hwo's leg came in contact with his chest and he gets sucked down to the ground after impact, his eyes rolled back to his head from how strong that kick actually was... and he finally stopped moving, proving he has lost consciousness... but as soon as Hwo was done with his job, he collapsed next to Jin, as his pains got the best of him and he simply wanted to stop pressuring his injured leg...

"OK... I hope this worked..."

Then, Asuka, Xiao and Panda ran over to check on both Jin and Hwoarang... but to their shock, Jin began shaking and groaning out loud in agony, before Xiao began pinning him to the floor, with all the strength she had left inside of her, despite her exhaustion...

"Asuka... it's time... now it's your turn!"

"Yes... the moment of truth has come... but where should I touch him?"

"A-Anywhere? J-Just touch him with one hand...! Do it fast, I can't hold him down much longer...!"

"OK! OK!"

And then, Asuka quickly presses her palm gently against Jin's chest... there was a moment of silence... but nothing seemed to happen... and it went on for longer, until all three girls became concerned...

"It doesn't work...!"

But suddenly, Jin stopped moving violently and his body began to ease up immensely, as Asuka's hand then began to glow turquoise-green and Jin's devilish marks began to fade away... all four heroes were astonished in a positive way and Xiaoyu began to grin widely and so did Hwo...

"It's working! It's really working! Jin is coming back!"

"Heh, life is kinda cool sometimes, isn't it...?"

But out of all four, Asuka was the most surprised... she always thought, Jin was just an insane dude, who seemed to have lost his sense for reality a long time ago, but apparently... he was right, she was indeed his saving grace, especially in this very moment... and meanwhile inside Jin's mind... the bubble he was trapped in burst open and Devil appeared next to him, looking quite impressed as he nodded in approval to this... Jin looked at his hands and wondered, who could have possibly summoned this miracle... but his questions were answered, once Asuka's spirit showed up before him in a golden light... both he and Devil were at loss for words...

"It appears, you have found your personal saviour, my friend..."

"Asuka? Is that you? Don't tell me... it was you, who just freed me...?"

But this spirit didn't say anything, before Jin knew it, Asuka's spirit grabbed for his hand and he began levitating off the ground alongside her, as the world around him turned white and Devil watched him leave... and then... Jin opened his eyes, as he gazed upon Xiao's, Asuka's and Hwo's faces, who were watching him with anticipation, before he broke the silence with a simple:

"Hey..."

(BGM for the situation: Healing Winds - SC3)

And before he knew it, he found himself getting hugged to death by Xiao, as she began crying in relief upon his safe return back to his normal self and he couldn't help, but grin in relief himself... and as his gaze fell upon Hwoarang, he was surprised to no end... he was still alive and fully awake... he slowly got into a sitting position to see, if he was dreaming or not...

"Hwoarang... you...!"

"Yeah, I know... trust me, I thought so too... but hey... I am glad you're back now..."

However... he then found himself getting hugged by Jin... who had to shed two huge tears of relief... before Hwo laughed and returned the hug carefully, as he has really run out of energy now...

"And I thought, I've lost you for good..."

But then, Hwo looked at him with a smug, before wiggling his index finger...

"...you won't ever get rid of me THAT easy, buddy. Remember that."

Jin chuckled, before wiping his eyes dry and then looking over to Panda, who has cuddled up to him close from behind... he had to pull her gently close and stroke her head gently...

"You are such a good girl, aren't you...? Aren't you, huh?"

He then nuzzled his head against her soft fur, before looking over to the person of the day... Asuka... she was still puzzled, over what happened... she still couldn't believe it... she has actually banned the Devil gene back to where it came from... Jin then had to put his hand gently over hers, before smiling lightly...

"Do you see now, why I wanted your help...? You were my last hope... and it's thanks to you, that I am now free again... I owe you a lot, Asuka..."

She then gazed upon Jin, looking still confused, but not angry anymore... she now sees, who Jin truly is, after him having saved her life from Feng... but she was still sunk in thoughts about what just happened... it was not the time for that though, since all five need medical attention right away... so Jin cramped out his phone to call Yuzuko, so that he and his men can to take them all back to the ship with Hwo and Asuka receiving hospital treatment and him getting treated with Xiao and Panda on the ship... and after a while, Yuzuko and his men brought them all, alongside their motorcycles, back to the docks, where they shall receive the needed medical attention...

A few days later...

Hwoarang is laying with a fully bandaged leg comfortably in his own bed in the hospital... but he was waiting impatiently for someone to arrive... and the waiting paid off, as then Baek real slowly, entered his room with crutches to help him stand... upon seeing him still alive and well, Hwo began to feel much better already and he sat down on his bed, warmly greeting his pupil... however, he did not expect the sudden change of tone in Hwo's voice, as he still failed to avenge him for what Feng did to him...

"Good morning, Hwoarang."

"Morning... although, I don't know, if this actually counts as a GOOD morning, 'cause I... I couldn't win against this bastard... I wanted to avenge you so badly, and now look where I am laying... in a hospital bed, with a useless leg... so how do we go from here? Because of this, the building process of our own home is sure to be delayed now..."

But then, he felt a firm, yet encouraging grip on his shoulder... it was Baek, who looks at him with a light grin... Hwo was indeed shocked, that he didn't act angry one bit... but he knew, it was much better this way... and as soon as he began speaking, he felt like a stone has been lifted from his heart.

"Hey, no need to beat yourself up over that. Yes, our home might take now a little longer than expected, but that's OK, we will still manage this somehow, we always have, didn't we? And hey, like the old saying goes: Pain makes people wiser. So the next time he comes and challenges you, I am sure you will be prepared much better for him... and do not worry, I will manage, I've felt worse. What's important here, is that YOU are still going well health-wise AND that you get back on your feet to continue your training... it will be fine, I am sure of it."

"T-Thanks Baek... next time, I will be stronger than ever!"

And before Baek could say anything, Hwo has already wrapped his arms around him, being extremely happy, that it all got better at last... and of course, his master returned the embrace with pleasure... because no matter how old Hwo is, he is still his pupil and like a son for him. Asuka, who was covered in bandages and plasters all over her skin, has been watching all this with awe and she couldn't help, but smile in relief... it made her really happy to see Hwoarang being happy as well... she actually missed that cheerfulness of hers... but then, the doctors came to tell her, that she is free to see her father now... and as she entered the room, she saw Akira, sitting at the edge of the bed with a bandaged, left hand... as soon as she saw him, she ran over to hug him tightly and soon, her mother joined in as well... all this was watched in secret by the disguised Jin and Xiao, who, much like Hwo and Asuka were covered in bandages and plasters... after a serious talk with her family, Asuka then had to mention, that she still needed to do something, but she will eventually return, as she then ran out of the room to head for the exit of the hospital, where the disguised Jin and Xiaoyu were waiting for her...

"Hey Jin! Are you doing alright?"

"Yes, I've had it worse."

"And what about you, Xiao? How is your shoulder?"

"It still burns, but hey, I will manage, it's not like I am going to perish from that."

But then Jin grew curious.

"And how are your father and Hwoarang doing?"

"Both are doing great, in fact, Hwoarang seems to have won his spirits back, now that Baek is back on his feet... such an old guy, yet so tough, it's almost unbelievable..."

She then had to giggle, as she has really grown fond of Hwoarang...

"It genuinely warms my heart to see him like that... after all this crap, we all need a moment to laugh, don't we? And hey... he won't be alone, as long as he remains there, someone might visit him any day, as he recovers... and that will be me."

"Cool... seems like you and Hwo seem to get along very well..."

"Oh, trust me, at first, he was a true mouthful, but now... to put it simply..."

She had to blush a little, while saying this out loud, as it was clear, she seemed to have moved on from her usual, brash demeanor...

"...I just can't imagine my life without him anymore."

Both Jin and Xiao look at one another, before chuckling and Xiao had to wink.

"Yeah, yeah, we can already tell, where THIS is going, but don't worry, our mouths are sealed shut."

But then, Asuka grew melancholic, because she knew, there was still something that needed to be done.

"Oh, and one more thing, Jin..."

"Yes?"

"I... well..."

She had to muster up courage to say these words, since she feared, he might not forgive her for what she has done to him AND what nasty things she said to him in the past, after their first encounter...

"I have to apologize for having treated you like dirt, Jin... I really have to, especially now that you've saved my butt back there... at first, I thought ill of you and I didn't even know you on a personal level... I know, I had every right to be mad with you, but... now in hindsight, I was the bad guy here. All what you asked of me, is to simply help you... but I declined, all because of me not having thought straight... and of me having been so self-absorbed to even listen to your pleading... you may not forgive me and if so, that's totally fine, as I wouldn't blame YOU for it, but me."

However then, she receives a gentle tap on the shoulder by Jin, who has that proud look in his eyes, not a single hint of resentment or hatred is in sight...

"It's alright. No need to apologize for something, that isn't even entirely your fault... I could have also simply asked you in a civil way to help me, instead of putting you to sleep with a medicine... if anything, it's also ME, who should apologize for having bothered you like that."

She then had to gently grin, as she nodded.

"And about this whole dilemma with you and your Devil gene... I have thought about it... and my decision couldn't be anymore clear... I want to help you. I want to join you on your journey to the redemption you are after."

Once Jin and Xiao heard that, both began to grin... but they were also confused about how this should be done, since Asuka still had a family, that hasn't seen Jin personally before and they may never know, how they might interpret this decision of their daughter to help a criminal...

"But... what about your family? Are you planning on helping us in the shadows? I don't know, if this is such a great idea... I am sure you have better things to do, right?"

But Asuka began to laugh, as she revealed something unexpected...

"No, do not worry, once you plan on visiting Osaka again, I will introduce you PERSONALLY to my parents, Jin."

"Really? Would you really do that? Because I fear, they might get a heart attack from me showing up in their home..."

"But my decision is crystal-clear and will remain so, I want to be part of your adventure, ESPECIALLY now, since I have witnessed how much of a threat you were, when the Devil gene took over. You may never know, when you will need me again, so to make sure, that everything goes according to your schedule, I will keep YOU in-line as best as I can. And like I said, my parents will learn about you soon enough, so I wouldn't worry too much..."

Jin then nodded and shook hands with her, just to complete the deal...

"Good. Then it's a deal. Welcome on board, Asuka."

"Likewise."

However then, two seamen arrived to tell Jin and Xiao, that their boat is about to depart of the docks, ready to head back home...

"Jin, we are ready for departure."

"Yes, I will be on my way..."

But before he leaves, he hands over a little note to Asuka... and whispers to her:

"That's my phone number, so that we can stay in contact. Since you plan on letting your family know about my arrival anyway, that should be no problem..."

"OK. Thanks."

"And greet Hwoarang for us, we're off! Farewell."

"Goodbye! And again, thanks!"

And as Jin and Xiaoyu leave to head for Jin's motorcycle, Hwoarang was looking outside of the window and saw his friends leaving... thankfully, Jin was still in sight, so he gave him a thumbs up and he returned it, much like Asuka did... and with that, Jin and Xiao were already on their way back to China... but as soon as the were on the ship... Jin was on the rear of the ship, just taking a nap to talk with Devil inside his mind... both faced opposite directions with folded arms...

"Well... that went quite splendid if you ask me... pity for that one part, where you completely lost yourself and went crazy... THAT is not supposed to happen."

"It did though and I would really appreciate it, if you kept me in-line better... it was my fault that I did it, but still... shouldn't you be able to keep me tamed, once I am in this state? Why didn't you do it, if you can?"

"...because you don't trust me, that's that. If you really want to learn, how to control my power, then you will have to gain self-control. But you will learn that eventually, there is no doubt about that. And if I want to be frank, your performance wasn't so shabby back there."

Jin had to admit... if it weren't for him, he might have never won the fight... so in a way, he was also thankful... and he had to show his gratitude.

"And hey, ummm... and I can't believe I am saying, but... thank you for having helped me."

"No need to thank me... yet. You still have a LONG way to go..."

"I am aware of that..."

But then, Jin was woken up by something licking his hand and it was Panda... and once he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao looking down on him with an innocent look, making him almost comically jump up.

"Geez, Xiao, no need to scare me like that."

But as soon as he sat up, he could see that Xiao didn't look cheerful anymore... as she looked troubled about something and Jin was immediately all ears.

"Xiao... what is it?"

"Jin... I want to know..."

Before she could complete her question... she had to lean her face against Jin's shoulder, as she was close of shedding a few tears of sorrow...

"...how did it feel, being under Devil's control?"

Jin had to wrap one arm around her for protection, since he didn't want her to cry...

"You should know... and this is unbelievable... Devil was actually trying to keep me under control, but it didn't work, since one important factor was missing... I don't trust him..."

"What?"

"That's what he told me at least..."

"So far, I always thought, as soon as you lose control, Devil tortures you the whole time..."

"No, it's not like that, trust me, I don't believe it myself... but the point is, I need to learn, how to harness his power and how to put it to good use... he was right all along, I can't become a better man, if I keep living in denial of his existence... I don't know, WHY I realize that NOW, but... he has a point."

"Do you trust him? If I were you, I wouldn't overdo it... who knows, what might happen to you, should you open yourself way too much in front of him... I just..."

She then embraced Jin entirely now, pressing her face against his chest...

"...I just can't bear the thought of seeing you like that ever again. I just can't. If that was to happen again, I... I don't even want to think about it. That what happened before was horrifying enough. I fear, it will get worse the next time this happens."

However, he returned the warm embrace with approval... as he tried to reassure her, that everything will be alright, since he now knew, what to do...

"Do not be afraid. However, I cannot guarantee for what you beg for, since sooner or later, there will come someone, even stronger than Feng Wei, and there will come a point, where I will need Devil's help again... because after all, he was a huge help for me in that fight."

"If that's true, that you NEED to trust him AND that you will have to learn how to control yourself..."

Her embrace became tighter and she trembled a little in fear...

"...then at least promise me, that you won't overdo it. This is the LEAST I can ask for."

"...I will try my best, Xiao."

And with that, both made their way back home... and from this day on, another one shall join Jin Kazama on his journey to cleanse himself from all his sins... and he will need every help that he could get... so that the coming obstacles, no matter how tough, can become manageable...

THE END

A/N: Well, that's it, folks. This was Season 1 of my series. Season 2 will be on its way and until then, remember to remain wonderful motherfuckers. See you. ;)


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